Of Angels and Demons
by Tsunami.No.Ai
Summary: In the seething nether, deep below the earth a harnessed evil lies in wait to be released. The fate of not only the Earth, but also of Heaven and Hell lies in the hand of one lone goddess. Ragnorak beings.
1. Nightmares of Fire

Of Angels and Demons  
  
By: Ben Craton  
  
Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and  
  
Kosuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001 by Ben Craton  
  
Note: This is not a happy go lucky fic. Sure, it has funny parts, but all in all it will be a dark fic to most. See I figured, hey these gals are powerful, cool, and awesome yet all they do is sit around not really 'doing' anything. Why not give Kami-sama's favorite goddesses something to do worth their merit? And so I set out to do just that. The point is, I'm going to stretch the characters out of their normal environment, while trying to preserve their personality. And so... Well, one more thing, this is set about oh, let's say a year or two after episode 5 (does it really matter?). So that makes Skuld about 16, Belldandy about 23, and Urd about 26. Oh, and I will use things from both the manga and the OVA, so be prepared. Ok, 'now' on with the fic.  
  
------  
  
Of Angels and Demons: Part 1  
  
Nightmares of Fire  
  
The soft light of the candles flickered in the warm tropical breeze, casting their romantic glow on the inner walls of the small hut. A full and brilliant moon shown through the window, adding to the yellow light. Elegant sounds of the surf were making for the best of relaxing backdrops for the night air and the light of candles. The light tropical air was filled with the fragrance of rose pedals and lavender scented potpourri, and the smell of love. In the center of the hut sat a larger than normal plush bed, draped with the softest of pink, silk sheets. The gentle wind swayed them slightly, keeping them a cool and comfortable temperature.  
  
Laying under one of these sheets, the goddess Belldandy shifted slightly. They 'were' soft, and they felt so clean and fresh next to her already perfect skin. She felt anxious as her honeymoon night 'activities' were fast approaching. She listened to the waves and relaxed some. She had never been with anyone before and she had the beginning of nervousness. Sure she loved Kei-chan with all her heart, but she wondered if she could show him how much she felt for him with her body.  
  
The wind gusted gently. The candles wained for a moment and Belldandy pulled the sheet tighter around her. Lying in the nude waiting for who-knew- what under one silk sheet was a little chilly. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted as the door to the hut opened and her love and new husband walked through the thresh hold. Belldandy's nervousness now shot through the roof. Her Kei-chan was dressed as much as she, and he was walking towards her. Her arms instinctively came up to dram him closer. As they wrapped themselves around her love's slender yet masculine neck, her lips began to tremble.  
  
Their bodies moved until they were breathing each other's air. The anxiety was almost more than the goddess could stand. Keiichi moved closer to prove his love to his new wife.  
  
"Belldandy..."  
  
"Keiichi.."  
  
"URD!!!!"  
  
Wha?  
  
**CRASH**  
  
Belldandy shot up off her futon, grasping the cover as she went in an attempt to cover herself while sucking half the air out of the room. Her wide and confused eyes shot here and there. Where was she? Where was Keiichi? And why was she wearing overalls? Another crash interrupted her train of though. The silhouette of Urd and then shortly after of Skuld ran past her window.  
  
"Urd! I said the last of the ice cream was mine, I called it!"  
  
"Only if you can catch me!" Her laughter followed her as she ran out of earshot.  
  
Belldandy's thoughts were now starting to make a little more sense as she realized where she was. She sighed and mentally slapped the back of her head. She had had another one of 'those' dreams again. Why was it that a goddess of her stature was having dreams of 'that' sort? She blushed slightly, knowing fully why. She knew that someday her dreams would not be so surreal anymore. She sighed again, stood, and stretched a good stretch shaking those thoughts from her head, yawning at the end.  
  
But why 'was' she wearing overalls? Her thoughts wandered back to the day before. That was it. She had been gardening all day, trying to keep her mind from her sisters and had simply been too tired to care about changing. She had to wash the sheets anyway.  
  
But her sisters, they had been acting strange for some reason. She wasn't quite sure why and really didn't want to know anyway. Well, she guessed, at least the gardening had worn her out and she had gotten a good rest. She changed out of the grimy overalls and into a robe. Gathering a towel and her other "bathy" things, she proceeded to the bath.  
  
Belldandy cleaned herself of the mud and dirt left from the day before, and once finished, climbed into the hot water tub and relaxed her aching arms. She let her mind wander as the sounds of the temple and of the grounds washed her mind as well. She knew she could very easily use her powers and cleanse herself in an instant, but nothing soothed her better in the morning than the warm water, the sounds of nature outside, privacy, and of course the bubbles. Bubbles?  
  
**SPLASH**  
  
"Hello!"  
  
"Skuld! What are you doing in here? Get Out!" Belldandy covered her important regions from her sister, embarrassed from having her privacy so rudely infringed. Still, something shiny caught her eye. "And why do you have Vodka?"  
  
Skuld grinned mischievously and hid the large bottle behind her back. "Hey don't be so loud. Urd will hear you. She doesn't know I have--"  
  
Just then the door flew open and Urd, dressed in what little she normally did, stormed in completely oblivious to Belldandy's presence. She was fuming and her eyes were as evil as they could be, at least before lunch. She glared at her younger sister.  
  
"GIVE.....IT....BACK!"  
  
Skuld giggled nothing short of demonically and dove headfirst back into the tub and disappeared. Belldandy let out a gasp and curled into a ball to avoid getting her legs taken off. Urd on the other hand, still not fully knowing where she was and only focusing in on getting her wondrous liquid back, dove in after Skuld. There was a very sad and sickening thud and Urd's head failed to transport through the water as her little sister could. Belldandy winced as water splashed all around soaking her hair and the floor. Little bubbles came to the surface next to the recently submerged goddess.  
  
"Glub."  
  
Belldandy stood and pulled her sister out, laying her out to dry on the floor. Deciding that her bath had been ruined past repair, she quickly dried and brushed her hair and produced a pair of jeans and a simple tee shirt upon herself. Picking her dazed and stupefied older sister of the ground she carried Urd to the living room, if one would call it that, and placed her on the couch so she could keep an eye on her.  
  
Belldandy's sisters had been behaving strangely this past week. Skuld had been acting more and more like a bratty 16 year old, and Urd had been acting like a 12 year... Ok so maybe they weren't acting 'that' strangely. But something 'was' odd. Maybe it was the fact they had been annoying the heck out of each other for the past week almost continuously. At least normally they would reconcile after a fight. They wouldn't even do that now. Well, whatever it was, she had grown tired of it long ago.  
  
Other things had been happening in the past week. Things that were starting to put Belldandy near her edge, which was completely not like her at all. Mara, for one, was making life very difficult. Why only three days ago she had decided to not only blow Keiichi's motorcycle sky high, but also to throw a cake, that Belldandy had spent 2 hours making, right in her face. And Belldandy still had no idea why she did it. It wasn't like she was trying to force her and Keiichi apart; more like aggregate the two of them until they couldn't keep their sanity.  
  
And then there was Sayoko... Oooo, she didn't even want to think about that one. Who on earth comes over to invite someone to a 'poker' game, whatever that was, wearing *only* a long shirt. Even Belldandy, knew that meant no good. Fortunately though, Skuld had tested her new "high powered super deluxe leaf blower" near that silly girl just about the same time Taymia and Otaki had come waltzing up the path to deliver Keiichi some motor oil. Boy, did they get paid in full that time. Belldandy giggled. Wait a second, she never giggled at someone else' misfortune. She slapped herself softly. Urd must be rubbing off on her more than she thought. Oh well, she though, as she proceeded into the kitchen to make lunch, seeing as how she had slept in.  
  
* * *  
  
As she was fixing some sandwiches and tea, something crossed her mind. Where was Keiichi? She had yet to see him all day. She looked around the kitchen for some sigh of him close to her but only saw the mess Urd and Skuld had made earlier. She hmmed.  
  
"Keiichi-san?"  
  
She got no response. Curiosity got the better of her as she put down the food and wiped her hands. Belldandy went out onto the porch and glanced about for a sign on her beloved. There was none. She did see Skuld sitting under a tree, most likely resting from chasing and being chased all morning long. She also saw some rustling in the bushes behind her sister. Something silver in color...Urd. Belldandy was about to warn Skuld when the so-called prey, picked up her hammer and, without even bothering to open her eyes, swung it behind her.  
  
Once again there was a sad and sickening *THWACK*, and Urd fell out of the bushes dazed. Skuld set the hammer down and smiling to herself, went back to her daydreaming. Belldandy grinned and shook her head wondering if those two would ever grow up.  
  
"Skuld?"  
  
Her little sister opened one eye and looked towards the temple. "Yes, onnee-sama?"  
  
"Have you seen Keiichi-san this morning?"  
  
Skuld thought for a second. "I think he and his sister went into town for some engine parts."  
  
"Oh. Thank you." Belldandy nodded her thanks.  
  
"Mmm hmm."  
  
Skuld resumed being lazy as her sister went back in the house. It wasn't like Keiichi to leave without letting her know, Belldandy thought. Even if she were asleep, he would have left a note or something. She sighed; maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep or something. She knew that her mood had been slowly sliding downhill, but she didn't know why. Usually these kinds of things never bothered her. She went back to the sandwiches that had been neglected. Her mind neither here nor there.  
  
* * *  
  
Lunch soon was served with much less than the usual enthusiasm. Keiichi was worn out from being pestered by Megumi about this and that about the engine they were working on. Skuld was picking food off Urd's plate when she wasn't looking. Urd was picking on Keiichi trying to get him aggravated and to see his, at least to her, funny "mad" face. And Belldandy sat silently, trying not to let her surroundings get the best her. All the noise though was far too loud. She sipped her tea and tried again in vain to regain peace of mind. With her eyes closed she didn't see the half sandwich come bearing down on her.  
  
*plop*  
  
Knowing full well what had just happened, Belldandy calmly set her cup down on the table. The sandwich still atop her head, she stood slowly keeping her calm as best she could. The room became silent and she could feel their eyes on her. She thought she heard Urd giggle.  
  
"Belldandy...?"  
  
"I'm going to clean myself and go for a walk," She took the sandwich off her head, "and you all can clean this mess yourselves!" She threw her deli hat down on the table and stomped off, dishes rattling as she went. The room was way too quiet. Everyone glanced at each other.  
  
Urd turned to Keiichi, "Uh...Keiichi?" "Hmm?" "Has she ever done that before?" He shook his head. Urd looked to Skuld, "Do YOU remember her ever doing that?" She too consented.  
  
Urd sat down and scratched her head. "Maybe it was something she ate."  
  
* * *  
  
Elsewhere a man smiled. 'Ah, everything has been set in motion and is proceeding smoothly.' He turned from the screen he had been watching and walked back to his desk. Sitting down he pulled out a key and unlocked a drawer. Reaching in and searching around he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a thin manila folder with the words "Restricted: Unauthorized Access in Punishable by Death." He set it on his desk. 'Soon Sashera...Very very soon.' He laughed out loud to deaf, echoing walls.  
  
* * *  
  
Belldandy sighed as she ran the brush through her hair again. She couldn't understand why those two sisters of hers couldn't stop fighting. Ever since last week, everyday, every meal they fought or argued or something that was driving her up the wall. She felt anger and she repressed it with all her might. She couldn't get mad; she was too composed and too mature to let anger get the better of her. At least she thought so.  
  
Belldandy set the brush down on the dresser and took a deep breath to calm down. She heard a knock on the door to her room. She got up and slid the door open a bit; peering out in order to make sure it wasn't Urd or Skuld. There stood her Keiichi looking like a child ripped from its mother. Belldandy's mood quickly changed to one of regret.  
  
"Keiichi-san, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing wrong's with me, I'm worried about you." Belldandy's eyes drifted to the floor in shame.  
  
"I'm sorry, Keiichi-san, its just my sisters have been putting me on edge lately." She slid the door open fully and gestured for Keiichi to come in. As he slowly stepped in she looked behind him and down the hall making sure the others weren't near. She turned and shut the door.  
  
Keiichi sat down in the middle of the room. Belldandy sat facing him and sighed again, looking at the floor. "Bell-chan, I'm sorry if I've done anything to you.."  
  
She looked up surprised and then her eyes softened. "Kei-chan, its not you. If it weren't for you I'd lose my mind." She put her hands on his shoulders. "Urd and Skuld have done nothing but fight for a week, Mara's been a pain, and Sayoko wont leave us alone, and no one appreciates anything I do except you Kei-chan." A look of sadness began showing itself again. "Keiichi, I feel myself getting angry."  
  
Keiichi looked at her curiously. "Angry? Bell-chan, everyone gets angry. That's nothing to worry about."  
  
"It is to me. I don't like being mad and I don't want it to hurt anyone, but if all this keeps up, it might...I might..."  
  
"You might what?" Keiichi looked in to her eyes with compassion.  
  
Her eyes looked like if she had just seen a loved one die. Tears began rolling down her face.  
  
She threw herself onto his shoulder and for the first time since Keiichi first saw her, Belldandy broke down.  
  
'Kei-chan you don't ever want to know.'  
  
Keiichi's eyes still faced forward, not quite sure what had just happened. He then realized that Belldandy was soaking his shirt. He knew the only thing he knew to do, he wrapped his arms around her and held her as she let it all out.  
  
* * *  
  
"Uhg. I hate doing this." Urd picked up as many dishes as she could, and carried them into the kitchen.  
  
"Quit whining, you're the one who got onnee-sama mad at us in the first place."  
  
"Did not, it was you and your screaming that did it."  
  
"Lair, it was you."  
  
"You!"  
  
"You!"  
  
The two squared off in the middle of the room. Both looking as if they were going for the jugular and nothing less. "Ahem!" They looked towards the door. Megumi stood, arms crossed, her foot tapping, very annoyed.  
  
"Will you two shut up. Geeze. I can't remember the last time...or if ever Belldandy got this upset." Urd and Skuld looked at each other. "Why don't you two just stay away from one another for a while?"  
  
Urd suddenly perked up. "Good idea! I'll just be leaving now." She ran past Megumi. "Have fun cleaning up Skuld." She laughed as she went out of hearing distance.  
  
Skuld was fuming. "Why that little... Oh!" She spun around and angrily began to wash up. Megumi put a hand to her forehead and sighed. What was anyone going to do with those two?  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi gently laid Belldandy on the floor trying not to wake her. She had cried for at least a half hour before surrendering to sleep. He sighed. Women never ceased to amaze him. One minute calm, the next a storm, and the next asleep. But his Bell-chan had never reacted like that to anything before. Maybe she was just tired, or irritable. Nah, couldn't be irritation. You couldn't get on her bad side, she didn't have one. This was probably just one of those freak happenings.  
  
Keiichi felt a little relief. He certainly didn't want all three sisters at each other's throats. He could just imagine what they'd do. He looked down at the sleeping goddess. She looked just like a... Ah, you know. But he still was wondering, what if this first class goddess with an unlimited license went a little on the revenge side. He quickly decided he did not want to find out.  
  
Watching her sleep though, Keiichi could see her face. Her face was twisting into different emotions. Anger, sadness, happiness, all of them one after another crossed Belldandy's face. He decided that maybe he should let her sleep by herself for a while, or less she might wake up and kill him. He nervously laughed at that thought as he got to his feet. He stepped out the door turning for one last look at his goddess, hoping she would feel better later.  
  
* * *  
  
Megumi was sitting in the living room watching TV when she noticed her brother walking by. His shoulders slumped slightly and a tired look about him. "HI KEIICHI!" She smiled at him trying to cheer him up a little.  
  
"Hi Megumi." Keiichi sat with a thump on the couch laying his head on the back. He sighed.  
  
"What's wrong? Is it Belldandy?"  
  
"Yeah. I've never seen her like this before. I mean yeah she's been upset and angry before, but she's never gotten this bad. She's never been this depressed before either. Oy, I wish I could do something for her."  
  
"Oh come now, at least you're there for her to cry on." She pointed at his drying shirt's shoulder. "And besides you know Belldandy, she can't stay mad at anyone."  
  
"Yeah... I guess you're right. Must just be those two fighting all the time that's getting to all of us." He nodded his head towards the yard.  
  
Megumi could hear more yelling coming from that direction. It was faint, but it sure was hateful. "I didn't know Urd and Skuld were that mean to each other. Maybe its just, ya know...that time of the month." She giggled at her brother's cheeks turning a little pink.  
  
"I really have no idea." He laid down and put a pillow over his head trying to drown out the arguing. "I wish they would just shut up."  
  
Megumi sighed, as the sound gradually grew softer as the two sisters went out of earshot. She went back to watching TV.  
  
* * *  
  
Urd and Skuld were fighting again. Belldandy could hear it from the kitchen. Why do they keep doing it? She sighed and walked out of the temple and watched as her sisters flew back and forth, each time nearly killing each other. They flew so fast the wind they generated was making her dress ruffle. Their speed amazed her. She could hardly keep her eyes fixed on them.  
  
She looked around to see if anyone else was there. Something else caught her eye. Something dark moving quickly past the bushes and towards the two combatants. Belldandy tried to scream out a warning, but nothing came out. She was mute. She tried running towards her sisters, but she couldn't move. She watched in horror as the dark object darted directly under the fighters and then leaped.  
  
Suddenly Urd hit the ground, dirt flew everywhere. The force of the impact shook the temple. Skuld stopped in mid air, turned, and flew straight toward Urd, a look of hate on her face.  
  
"Now witch, you die!"  
  
Belldandy was taken aback. Had Skuld just threatened Urd? She desperately tried to move, but her body refused to obey. She 'had' to do something. Then it was over before she knew it.  
  
Urd raised her head a bit to move out of the way, but Skuld was already upon her. Skuld spun her hammer around. Holding the mallet, she drove the pointed through her sister. Urd screamed in pain. Belldandy's emotions were out of control. Her power was not responding either; she could do nothing for her sister. Skuld uttered a chant and a power ball formed in her hand and ran along the shaft of the hammer into her sister's torso. The blast left nothing but a hole where the goddess of the past, Urd, had been.  
  
Skuld then stood straight up. Looking to Belldandy across the yard, she held her hammer in both hands, offering it to her now only older sister. A tear ran down her cheek. "Onnee-sama...Kill me." Belldandy couldn't believe this was happening and could only shake her head. Skuld nodded and hung her head, letting her hammer slip out of her hand. The dark creature appeared again behind her, and raised a shadowy arm.  
  
Belldandy once more summoned her power unsuccessfully. The hand came down without mercy on the head of the dark haired goddess. A sickening thwack rang out across the temple grounds. Tears ran freely down Belldandy's face as the limp and lifeless body of her sister fell to the ground with a thump. Her heart had fallen through the ground and yet she still could not even utter a word.  
  
"Belldandy. Where are you?"  
  
Belldandy's eyes turned to the side of the temple where Keiichi was coming toward her. "There you are. There's something I've been meaning to tell you Bell-chan."  
  
He leaned closer to her and she could feel his breathing.  
  
From the corner of her eye, she saw the monster bearing down on the two of them. Her eyes widened with fear. Keiichi still spoke, seeming not to notice the shadow behind him. "From the first time I met you, I've felt this emotion in my heart..."  
  
The monster rose up behind Belldandy's life and stood still.  
  
"I feel like the love I have for you has moved through the heavens and back. You are my light, Bell-chan..."  
  
Belldandy kept her eyes in the monster. She could hear Keiichi but he sounded distant. Then she could hear another voice, not with her ears but her mind.  
  
'If you kill me now, your love will live.'  
  
'No one more needs to die,' she pleaded, 'please leave Kei-chan alone.'  
  
'Kill me or he dies.'  
  
She looked from the monster to Keiichi and back. But by that time the shadow had formed an energy sword in its hand and began to swing downward.  
  
"Bell-chan, will you mar-ack"  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! KEI-CHAN!"  
  
Belldandy shot up from the floor to a fighting stance, energy ball in hand. She looked wildly from side to side sweat pouring down her face. It was dark again. Her room? She took in her surroundings. She 'was' in her room. Confused, she slumped back on to the floor, breathing a sigh of relief. The dream she just had, it had been so real. She looked at her clothes. She still wore the blue jeans and white shirt from that morning, not a dress.  
  
A soft knock came from the door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Keiichi peered in as he slid the door back. Belldandy sighed with fierce relief. Keiichi walked over to her and sat down facing her.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
She put a hand to her head, "Yeah, I'm ok." She looked up to her love, a smile coming to her face. He smiled back.  
  
"Look Bell-chan, I know you've been up tight lately. You've been out most of the afternoon. And well, it's it a little late. How about we just order out tonight?"  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi hung up the phone. He couldn't remember the last time he had ordered out for dinner. Belldandy had just woken up a few minutes before and it was well past 7:00. He had decided not to put more pressure on her and told her that she didn't 'have' to cook that night. Of course that went over like a lead balloon, but she gave in when he used his patented "Keiichi's Look of Sadness and Get Most Anything You Want From a Woman" look. He walked back into the living room where everyone but his Bell-chan was.  
  
"So wadya get?" Urd looked over the couch at him  
  
"Uh, well, I hope you all like pizza."  
  
Skuld got a funny look on her face. "What's that?"  
  
Urd started snickering "You don't know what pizza is?" She fell over on the couch laughing.  
  
"Shut up Urd! Its not like you know everything!"  
  
"You wanna bet you brat!"  
  
"YEAH!"  
  
"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!!!!"  
  
Urd and Skuld froze in mid swing of fists. Slowly they turned towards the door. Belldandy stood in the doorway, panting slightly. Her fists were clenched, her head looking at the floor, but her eyes looking straight at the gladiators. She looked like death waiting to strike, fire seeming to emanate from her eyes. Skuld gulped.  
  
"Uh, hi onnee-sama." She smiled at waved nervously. "H..How was you nap?"  
  
"Don't you "onnee-sama" me! I want this fighting to stop NOW or so help me Kami-sama himself will cry when he sees what I've done to you!"  
  
Suddenly she stood straight up and blinked few times. She looked around the room. The looks of shock staring back at her. "Did I just say that?"  
  
Keiichi's eyes stuck in open mode, his mouth open slightly. 'Did' she just say that? Did Belldandy...could she have just threatened someone?  
  
Urd sunk down on the couch out of sight. Skuld started to get teary eyed. "Onnee-sama I didn't mean to...I ...I..." She burst into tears, jumped off the couch, knocking Urd off, and ran from the room, pushing Belldandy out of the way.  
  
Belldandy wavered and looked over at Keiichi with questioning eyes. "I...I...I..." Keiichi walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Shhhh."  
  
Silence took over the room. Megumi, who had said nothing or moved since Urd and Skuld started fighting, finally said her mind. "WOW! That was awesome Belldandy."  
  
Urd looked up at her from the floor and glared. "Shut up, megumi." Megumi ignored her and got up from her chair. Walking over to the still stunned goddess, she gave her a pat on the back. "Good for you. It's about time you stood up to those two."  
  
Belldandy looked at Megumi, tears starting to form in her eyes. "But I didn't mean to..." "Sure you did and they needed it."  
  
Belldandy was so confused. She went silent and hugged Keiichi, her head on his shoulder, staring blankly into space. He wrapped his arms around her in his way of comforting her. Megumi's face slowly fell. Urd laid on the floor still a little shook, thinking. Skuld's sobbing could be heard from down the hall.  
  
'What's happening to me?' A tear ran down her cheek.  
  
----- End Part One ----  
  
Next time: What has happened to the happy family they were? Did Belldandy ever take a day off before? Can Keiichi and Belldandy finally be alone? Why is Belldandy actually getting angry? Why is Urd being meaner than usual? Who invented cheese puffs? Some of these questions answered next time. Stay with it.  
  
Ben Craton  
  
-----  
  
http://tsunami.craton.net  
  
Comments? Critisism? Rampant idiocy? Send to tsunami.no.ai@insightbb.com 


	2. Phases of the Moon

Of Angels and Demons  
  
By: Ben Craton  
  
Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and  
  
Kosuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001 by Ben Craton  
  
Of Angels and Demons: Part 2  
  
Phases of the Moon  
  
  
  
Skuld sat in the silence of her room. The rest of the temple had ceased to be awake long ago. She knew she was the only one up right now. She had sat listening to the night play out. Keiichi had quieted Belldandy down, and was probably asleep on the couch next to her. Megumi had long since gone back to her apartment. Urd had staggered past her door with a bottle of something about an hour ago.  
  
Skuld glanced out the window at the black sky. The moon shown back, casting a strange yet beautiful light on her futon. She couldn't have cared less. Her eyes just stared forward, not looking at anything. 'Kami-sama himself will cry when he....' Skuld squeezed her eyes shut and held her head. Belldandy's out burst kept coming back to her mind. More tears began to dip down her face. Why did onnee-sama yell at her like that?  
  
So what if she and Urd fought all the time? It wasn't like it was anything new. Why did Belldandy yell? Why did she threaten? Skuld buried her face in her hands. She was so confused. She hated it when people were mad at her, sometimes even when Urd was mad at her. Her mind flooded with confusion. '...cry when he sees what I've done to you!' "Shut up!" Skuld yelled at the voices in her head. She cried.  
  
* * *  
  
Belldandy awoke suddenly. Feeling something pressing down on her she looked to her right. Her Keiichi was resting his head on her, sound asleep no less. She smiled; he was so cute when he was asleep. She glanced around the room trying not to disturb him. She was on the couch in the living room and it was dark. She looked down at Keiichi's watch. 2:47. She sighed, it was really early. She thought about going back to sleep but decided that she had slept enough that day and besides, she was too awake to do that anyway.  
  
Slowly and carefully she removed herself from next to Keiichi, laying him out full on the couch. He shifted and soon was at rest again. She stood and looked down at him. 'He's such a kind person. Staying up for me.' She bent down and brush her hair out of the way, gave him a peck on the cheek. He didn't seem to notice it. She smiled anyway.  
  
Belldandy left the temple and walked to the yard. Crickets were chirping softly in the cool night air. The moon casting its wary, blue glow on the ground. A few fireflies here and there lit up, adding to the mystery atmosphere of the night. She breathed in the cool air, cleansing her mind. The night seemed so beautiful to her, yet she had rarely been out this late. At least she hadn't without Keiichi being awake as well.  
  
Strolling along, she let her mind return to the scene a few hours earlier. She sat down on her favorite rock. 'Why did I say that?' She sighed and looked up at the stars. She had made Skuld into a disaster in her own right. At least Urd had gotten some sense knocked into her. But poor Skuld. She really didn't deserve to be yelled at like that. She's so young. Belldandy looked towards her little sister's room. The window was open but it didn't seem like Skuld was up. Why would she be? She probably cried herself to sleep.  
  
She put her arms behind her and leaned back, gazing at the sky. Her mind running on empty. 'Maybe...I said that because...No... Well, it could be.' She looked to the ground. A firefly landing on her knee didn't seem to catch her attention. 'Maybe I'm turning out to be more human than goddess.'  
  
* * *  
  
A tall, blonde headed man dressed in a flowing black robe with a long white shawl stood in front of the massive desk, on which were scattered a number of manila folders. Most were marked with red ink stamps. The man behind the desk was thumbing through one of these kinds of files.  
  
"And this is 'all' we have on him?"  
  
"Yes, sir." The blonde man looked at the floor, expecting retribution.  
  
"Ah, well. I trust that my girls know a little more about his then what is in here." He dropped the folder back to the desk. "Listen carefully Michel, I want this authorized by Yggdrasil. No approval but mine, got it?"  
  
"Yes sir." Michel took the piece of paper Kami-sama handed him, and placed it in a pouch in the belt of his robe.  
  
"Now, one more thing. Do not finalize it until I give the word. And let 'no one' but us know about it."  
  
"Of course my lord."  
  
Kami-sama watched his subservient go out the door. Once the door had closed behind him, he let out an audible sigh. He had never authorized this kind of thing before. He looked down at the pile of folders. At least, he thought, it was better that than what would happen if he didn't. He just hoped heaven didn't go nuts over it.  
  
* * *  
  
Sunbeams radiated from the east side of the temple and in through the windows to hit Keiichi square in the eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to blot out the sun as he was being rudely awakened. Sitting up, he noticed Belldandy was no longer beside him. He glanced about the room. She sat in the recliner quietly staring at the floor, supporting herself with her arms on her knees. She seemed to notice Keiichi.  
  
"Ohayo gozamimas, Kei-chan."  
  
"Ohayo gozaimas, Bell-chan. Why are you over there?" Keiichi noticed that she looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red streaks ran down her face.  
  
"Thinking."  
  
Keiichi scratched his head and smiled, still half asleep. "What about." He yawned.  
  
She locked her eyes on him without moving her head. After pausing a minute, she looked back at the floor. "Kei-chan, what do you think about me?"  
  
Keiichi blinked. "What do I think about you? I think you're the best thing to ever happen to me."  
  
She smiled but quickly lost it. "That's sweet, but what do you think about ME. As a person?" She pointed at herself.  
  
Keiichi began to speak and then lost his words. What was she getting at? Did this have anything to do with last night? He tried to remember. Ah yes the fight and his goddess actually threatening her sisters. "Uh, well. I think you are a very nice person and you try your best at everything you do." He smiled nervously.  
  
She sat up straight and looked at him with tired eyes. "Kei-chan, you heard me last night. How can I be nice when I said such mean things?"  
  
"Well, everyone has those kind of moments when they just snap. Its alright Bell-chan, you had every right to feel that way and say what you did."  
  
"But we goddess never are supposed to be cruel. We cant just run around showing negative emotions. How would that look on Kami-sama if his goddess were threatening people?"  
  
"Well, Urd's always--"  
  
"Urd's half devil anyway." She spat, but didn't seem to notice, or care, or both.  
  
Keiichi quickly became at a loss for words. "But..."  
  
"Kei-chan lets face it, I'm becoming a rotten apple."  
  
"Belldandy! You are no such thing! Look at how much happiness you brought into my life. You are beautiful, you are my friend, and you are my comfort. What else do you want? You can't be happy all the time you know. You've gotten stressed, so what? You'll get over it soon."  
  
She suddenly stood and walked over to him standing right over him. "How much do you really love me? Why do you anyway? Just cause I'm here? Just cause I'm nice to you?! What happens if I keep being mean? What happens if I hurt you? How much will you love me then?"  
  
Keiichi was taken aback. His Bell-chan was now yelling at him, of all people. He started to stand and grabbed her right hand. "Bell-chan, please-- "  
  
* SLAP *  
  
Keiichi slid back down onto the couch in shock holding his cheek. He looked up at Belldandy with wide eyes. She had tears running down her face again. She looked at him like he was a dying puppy, realizing what she had done. She regained some composure and stood semi-triumphantly. "How much do you love me now Keiichi Morisato?"  
  
He stood back up and grabbed her by the arms. She froze, then began to struggle. He paid no mind to it. He pulled her close and kissed her full on the mouth. Her eyes went wide and she tensed. Then, slowly, her body went limp as she sunk into the kiss. Keiichi broke it and looked into her eyes, Belldandy could see the large red welt on the right side of his face. She looked into his eyes with fear expecting the worst. "I love you 'that' much Bell-chan." He smiled.  
  
She broke down again.  
  
* * *  
  
Urd woke up in a tangle of sheets, again. She hated when this happened. She grunted and sat up rubbing her eyes with one hand. She looked out the window. The sun glared straight back. 'Its gonna be one of 'those' days again.' She yawned and stood up allowing the covers to drop to the floor, her pink pjs almost going with them. She caught her slacks before they fell. She giggled slightly to herself. 'Heh, Keiichi only need to see one set of legs a day... Keiichi needs to see one set of legs at all.' She pulled the pants back up and walked out in the direction of the bath dragging her feet as she went.  
  
Urd had never been a morning person. She hated them actually. Always cheerful and what not. She could hear birds. She could see sun. She could hear Belldandy slapping bacon on the frying pan, or something. She wished it would go away till later. She dragged on past Skuld's room. She paused a second and leaned in. Skuld was lying sprawled out on the floor, drool hanging from one corner of her mouth. Urd couldn't help but feel the need to do something, she couldn't let this opportunity pass her by. She blinked and a 4-foot by 4-foot picture of the scene appeared on Skuld's wall. 'That oughta make her day.' She laughed again.  
  
Urd sank into the tub of hot water. 'Stupid tub is too short for me still.' She sighed heavily. Her knees were sticking up out of the water and it was cold. Scowling, she crossed her legs and shut her eyes. Somehow the image of Belldandy with fire in her eyes blinked into her mind. Her eyes shot open. 'Whoa, we're not going through this again.'  
  
She let her mind wander again. She could still hear the birds and wind and stuff on the other side of the wall. 'Ahh. Relaxation at last.' She smiled and sank as far as she could into the water. She let the water cleanse her head of the thoughts that had been plaguing her since last week. Ever since... *beep beep beep beep* She opened her eyes. 'Not again.' Looking over at where she had left her towel, Urd saw the small back beeper she had been carrying around for a week.  
  
She lifted herself up slightly out of the water to reach the beeper. She grabbed it and pushed a green flashing button on the side. The beeper flipped open and a small antenna popper out of the top. Urd put it to her ear.  
  
"Moshi moshi."  
  
"Urd?"  
  
"Yes, what is it?"  
  
"Ahem,... password?"  
  
"Oh yes, ......'Skuld is a ball of Swiss cheese.'"  
  
"Switching to secure channel."  
  
Urd rolled her eyes and sunk back into the warm water, just as far as the water was nearly touching the phone. She leaned her head back against the side and closed her eyes whilst a series of beeps played through the earpiece.  
  
"Line secured. I'm patching you through now."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Urd, Second class, limited license?"  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"You have been doing a fine job so far. Things are moving along just as we expected."  
  
"Thank you sir. I'm glad I can do your bidding."  
  
"I hear the sarcasm in your voice Urd. I do not appreciate it, but seeing as you are in this difficult situation I will let it slide."  
  
"Sir, why do 'I' have to do this?"  
  
"Because you are the only one there who can."  
  
"But what is the purpose of driving my sisters crazy? Couldn't Mara do that?"  
  
"Mara is unpredictable and gives up too easily. Do not worry Urd, it will not be for much longer. You will soon know what our purpose is."  
  
Urd sighed noticeably. "I just want to be liked again. At least before I was liked 'some' of the time."  
  
"Urd, you are liked, especially up here. As a matter of fact, seeing as how you have carried your self well and the fact that you will need it soon, we are hereby promoting you First Class Goddess, unlimited license."  
  
Urd's eyes shot open. She couldn't believe what she just heard. "I... I... You mean?"  
  
"Yes, for the time being you are the same level with your younger sister. Mind you that you are not as powerful and you not require an earring, but you will still be at the same license and access level."  
  
Urd jumped up and stood in the tub, water splashed everywhere. She bowed deeply to no one. "Thank you sir. Thank you."  
  
"Just keep it up Urd. OH one more thing. Tonight, something is going to happen. You will want to stop it. Don't, it must come to pass and we will handle it from there. And do not let anyone, even Skuld, interfere."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
The other side hung up and Urd stood there naked in the tub, her mouth twitching. She couldn't keep it in. "YAHOO..." She slapped her hand over her mouth. She wasn't to let anyone know about any of this. Yet she kept the ear-to-ear smile on her face as she closed the phone and plopped it back on the towel. 'Who needs a bath when I've got unlimited power?' She blinked herself dry and popped some clothes on. She picked up the phone again and put it in her pocket. For the first time since she could remember Urd skipped down the hall.  
  
* * *  
  
Belldandy dropped a few more ice cubes into the little plastic bag. She looked over at Keiichi in the other room. He was looking out the window, rubbing his sore cheek. She still felt guilty again for doing that. What 'was' happening to her?  
  
She tied the top of the bag in a knot and walked into the other room. She sat down next to Keiichi. He turned to face her. She put the ice pack to his cheek. He winced then eased. She smiled faintly.  
  
"I'm Sorry Kei-chan."  
  
"Its alright Bell-chan. I understand." He took the pack in his hand and held it himself.  
  
Belldandy looked down at the table sadly. She shook her head. "No it's not alright. How could I slap you? I'm such a bad goddess." She banged her hand on the table and put the head in her hands.  
  
Keiichi looked at his love, feeling overwhelmingly sorry for her. He wished he could do something for her. He reached into his back pocket with his free hand and pulled out his handkerchief. He handed it to her.  
  
She glanced over at him, head still in hands. Belldandy sat up and took it, smiling. She blew her nose. "Uha,...Thank you." She folded it neatly and handed it back.  
  
Keiichi stuck it back in his pocket. She rested her head on one hand facing Keiichi and began tracing circles with her other hand on the table.  
  
"So you really love me that much huh?"  
  
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"I don't know. I've just been so mean lately."  
  
"Just since yesterday, and you're not mean."  
  
Belldandy sighed and stopped tracing. She looked him in the eye. "You sure?"  
  
"Positive." He smiled.  
  
She started to feel a little better. She gave him a big hug. "I'm still sorry."  
  
"Heh, what are you two doing? Getting fresh a little early are we?"  
  
Urd walked in the room and sat down across the table. She was wearing a very short white tee shirt and black shorts. Trying desperatly to hide her enthusiasm from the promotion, she eyed the young couple. It always made her somewhat disgusted seeing them happy together and her with no one. Belldandy had slumped at her sister's arrival but had still not let go of Keiichi. He looked half relieved and half exhausted. Urd sat there for a few moments, waiting for someone to say something to her. A good morning or hi or go away would have been nice. But they didn't seem too interested that she was alive at the moment. She cleared her throat.  
  
Belldandy looked over at her sister from over Keiichi's shoulder. She looked at Urd for a second or two, rolled her eyes, and then went back ignoring her. Urd 'humphed' disgustedly. "Good morning 'Keiichi.'"  
  
"Ohayo Urd."  
  
"Well it's nice 'someone' appreciates that I'm here today." Silence. "Anyway, hey Keiichi. What's that ice pack for?" She pointed at the little bag.  
  
He glanced down at it for a sec trying to think of something to say without telling Urd what had actually happened. "Uh, you see I rolled off the couch last night onto my face and...uh..." He chuckled nervously.  
  
Urd eyed him suspiciously. "Uh huh. Whatever... So, Belldandy, where's breakfast this morning? Its after nine."  
  
Belldandy's voice was muffled slightly by Keiichi's shirt. "Make it yourself."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Belldandy finally let go of her love and sat up, hands on her hips. "You heard me. Make it yourself. I'm sure you're quite capable." She thought for a second. "I'm taking the day off."  
  
Urd blinked in surprise. "Day off? You don't have off days."  
  
"I do now. I'm making a picnic for me and Keiichi, and we're going to be alone today."  
  
"You are huh?"  
  
'We are?'  
  
"Yes we are. Right Keiichi-san?"  
  
"Uh..." He looked at Belldandy. She had a look of hope mixed with "you better" plastered on her sweet face. "Heh heh...Sure."  
  
"See? Now go make yourself useful somewhere else."  
  
"Umph." Urd stood up and looked at Keiichi. His eyes said it all. 'I don't know what gotten into her, but you'd better listen.' "Well, if I'm not wanted in here, I'll go torment Skuld."  
  
"Don't you do it Urd. If I find out you've bothered Urd at all today I'm calling the Office and telling them that I request you go back, permanently. Got it?"  
  
"Sure thing sis." Urd muttered a few things under breath as she left.  
  
* * *  
  
Skuld finally woke up and looked at her clock. It was afternoon already. She grogged and looked up. A big picture of her sleeping hung on the wall. Urd. It was gonna be one of 'those' days again. She stood up and yawned, forcing the memory of the previous night out of her head. After popping the picture out of existence she got her stuff and when to the bath.  
  
After many minutes of washing and such, Skuld emerged from the bath and went to the kitchen. Something seemed amiss, she want quite sure what it was yet. She peeked her head in. Nothing. Actually more like no one. Where was Belldandy? And where was lunch? Her tummy growled fiercely. She hadn't eaten since yesterday at lunch.  
  
She peered into the living room. Urd was on the couch all sprawled out watching a soap on TV. Skuld walked over and leaned on the back of the couch. "Where's Onnee-sama?"  
  
Urd didn't bother looking up. "Out with Keiichi somewhere."  
  
"What do you mean, somewhere?"  
  
"She just said she and Keiichi were going on a picnic and 'off' they went."  
  
Skuld looked confused. "Why?"  
  
"Because she said so."  
  
Skuld sunk her shoulders and looked down at Urd. She was obviously not actually watching TV. Her eyes were distant and worried. "Oneesan, what's the matter?"  
  
Urd's eyes quickly went back to normal. "Nothings wrong. Now go away your bothering me and my show."  
  
Skuld turned and started away. 'Witch.'  
  
"Yeah, and you're a moron."  
  
Skuld froze. 'Did she just...?'  
  
Urd froze. 'Uh oh. I'm not supposed to let anyone know about my new license.'  
  
Skuld turned around again. "Did you just read my mind?"  
  
"You dork, you know I can't read minds yet."  
  
'That's right. She's still an under qualified wretch.'  
  
Urd fought off the urge to retaliate. "Now go away."  
  
Skuld turned again, shook her head and walked back to the kitchen to make her lunch.  
  
Urd breathed a sigh of relief. 'Whew, that was a close one.' She went distant again. Something was bothering her about what Kami-sama had said. Something about tonight. What would happen tonight that I would want to stop it? She couldn't for the life of her figure it out. And that scared her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Isn't it nice to be away for a while Kei-chan?" Belldandy cooed as she watched the few white clouds in the sky gently glide across the blue. Keiichi took a deep breath of fresh air and let it out. He had to agree, it was beautiful out today. He took it all in.  
  
The lake had such a deep blue too it, and it was mixed with the silver streams of glistening water. The tree above them kept them cool and out of the sun. The shadow of the tree contrasted the bright green of the grass in the sun. The mountains in the distance made for a picture perfect backdrop and as a hemline for earth and sky. He looked down to his left. There was the most beautiful scenery, in his opinion.  
  
Belldandy had stretched herself out on the grass and had rested her head on his shoulder while holding onto his arm like a teddy bear. He could only see the top of her head, but her hair alone was still prettier than all that lake stuff. He smiled. He figured someone must really like him up there. Wait; of course they did, she was right here.  
  
Keiichi reached up with his other hand and stoked her hair for a moment, remembering how incredibly soft it was. She purred and cuddled closer. How could things be any better? Good food, good scenery, a wonderful girl, was it possible to get any better? Wait, he knew how. Unfortunately, he left it home. He kicked himself mentally. How in the world could he have done such a thing? Of course, he had had no idea they were coming here or that here had ever existed. Belldandy had directed him to this secluded spot.  
  
Keiichi sighed. He knew he wanted to ask her, he just hadn't had the right moment yet and now here she and him were alone and he had forgotten the ring at the temple. Oh well, he'd get his chance sometime. Maybe the next time they came here he could do it. Today wouldn't have been the best of days anyway. She had been under a lot of stress and he wouldn't want to put any more on her. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to leave him for anyone else. It could wait a little longer.  
  
"So, is there anything else you'd like to do today Bell-chan?"  
  
Belldandy rolled her head so she could face him. She smiled sweetly. "No thank you Kei-chan. I've had a wonderful time with you, but it's getting late and I wouldn't want to be out past dark too long. Skuld would kill you, I'm afraid."  
  
Keiichi laughed at the thought of Skuld chasing him with that hammer of her's. Belldandy giggled. "Alright, do you want to start home yet?"  
  
"No, not just yet. I want to do one more thing."  
  
"Oh...and what's that?"  
  
She sat up and kissed him. He pulled her close and cradled her in his arms. "I guess we could stay a 'little' longer." She winked at him as they embraced again.  
  
* * *  
  
Urd lay on the roof of the temple, baring all. She loved sunning herself. It always left good to her when the sun hit every part of her. She scratched her nose under her sunglasses. Though she had to admit, she wished she could be on the other side of the roof. The side that faced the street. It was much warmer on that side, but she had to give it up. People kept throwing coins and things at her. She was tired of being pegged in the head while trying to relax.  
  
She peeked over the top of her spectacles. The sun was starting to set. Had it been that long already? Urd pulled her self up and sat there a moment. Belldandy and Keiichi should be back soon. If not she would have to keep Skuld at bay. She couldn't figure out what Skuld had against Keiichi. Maybe it was the fact that she had never been in love before. That could very well be it.  
  
Urd grunted as she stood up and produced some clothes on herself. Just a shirt and a pair of shorts. Just to cover the essentials of decency. She smiled to herself. Humans were so self-conscious about them selves. Of course, she knew of no one with her drop dead gorgeous body. She grinned and chuckled. She was gorgeous wasn't she? "I 'am' beautiful."  
  
"For a monkey."  
  
Urd looked down from her moment of self-imposed glory. Skuld stood below. She looked like she was taking her robot somewhere and had stopped to take part in a little verbatim.  
  
"Oh give it a rest Skuld. I've left you alone all day. You're annoying enough as it is. Why don't you and your only boyfriend go somewhere together? Maybe see a movie, get a room perhaps."  
  
Skuld clinched her fists. "Grow up Urd! You couldn't get a boyfriend if your life depended on it!"  
  
"Oh yeah!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"WHAT do you two think you're doing?"  
  
Urd and Skuld looked over to the source of the voice. Belldandy stood there, arms crossed, with Keiichi looking nervous and slightly clueless, behind her. The two sisters pointed at each other, "'She started it.'"  
  
Belldandy sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, you two are worthless I swear. Well, I guess I could cook diner tonight. Maybe 'that' will make up for yesterday and make you two quit bickering." She turned at walked to the temple door. Keiichi walked over to where Skuld was standing and looked up at Urd.  
  
"Urd...Get down from there."  
  
Urd shrugged and jumped off, missing Keiichi by merely an inch. He freaked but gained his composure quickly. She smiled. He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. "Look Urd, don't be mean to her tonight." He gestured to Skuld who was walking away with her mecha. "Belldandy is trying her hardest to be nice. And I think we would all like that very much... right?" Urd nodded.  
  
"Fine...I'll lay off tonight. But only cause you asked so nice." She pecked him on the cheek, making him blush. She loved it when he did that. "Uh...thanks." Urd smiled and walked off.  
  
'I guess I could lay off some. I'm sure HE wouldn't mind. Seems as though he's got something in mind anyway.' She shrugged and walked inside.  
  
* * *  
  
'Where is that blasted ring?' Keiichi threw more of his stuff into a pile behind him. He had searched for it since he got home, figuring he better know where he left it when he and Belldandy go to the lake again. He 'had' thought it was in his desk drawer, but obviously it wasn't. He didn't remember getting half this stuff. So far he had found a three-year-old pack of gum, a plastic sword, a dud bomb of Skuld's, for some reason Urd's underwear, and a big bag of jellybeans he had lost a week ago. But the ring was nowhere to be found.  
  
Keiichi sighed and sat back. He knew it had to be somewhere. Now if he was that ring where would he be? He tried to think of where he had seen it last. He had bought it a month ago...then he put it in his drawer...but Urd was snooping around one day so...he had put it...Ah ha! He had it. He had put the ring behind a loose brick in the temple's perimeter wall. He got up and went outside, leaving the pile for later.  
  
Keiichi walked briskly to the spot in the wall just behind an old statue and out of normal sight. He felt the bricks, trying to remember which one it was. After a minute or two, he felt one brick wiggle a little. Grasping it firmly he gave it a good tug and it popped out of the wall reveling a small black velvet box. He almost got teary eyed and gingerly picked the box up and coddled it.  
  
"Whatcha got there? Eh, Keiichi?"  
  
Keiichi froze. He spun around quickly, hiding the box behind his back. Skuld stood in front of him, a puzzled and mischievous look on her face. "Heh heh...um nothing Skuld. Nothing at all, just a uh... a rock." Well it was half-truth anyway.  
  
Skuld knew better. "A rock huh? Can I see it?"  
  
"Uhh... not yet. I'll show it to you later after I uh..clean it."  
  
"Oh...Okay." Skuld's smile told Keiichi he was going to get it if she didn't get to see it later. But no matter, he turned and walked as fast as he could back to his room, leaving Skuld wondering what he really had.  
  
Once back in his room and after he shut the door, Keiichi let out his breath. He opened the box to look at his prize. A beautiful diamond sat there with three blue sapphires in a row on each side of it. All of it set in a silver ring. He smiled; Belldandy would faint if she just saw it, let alone get the question too. He opened his drawer and pulled out a small red pouch. Untying the knot he reached in and pulled out a long, thin necklace.  
  
'I'm not going to lose it this time.' Keiichi treaded one end of the necklace through the ring and fastened it around his neck. The ring now dangled low enough that it wouldn't pop out from underneath his shirt and so no one would see it. He looked at the ring once more and then put it under his shirt. He looked down at the pile of junk that had been displaced during his search. Well, that could wait till later. He could smell food and that was a tad higher on his priority list today than cleaning.  
  
* * *  
  
Belldandy hummed a tune while she finished making dinner. It had been such a nice day today. Not like it had been yesterday. She felt so relaxed after spending time at the lake with Keiichi. She smiled and took the rest of the food out to the table.  
  
"Everyone, Time To Eat!"  
  
Slowly and surely the other three drugged in. Keiichi looked happy for some reason. Belldandy knew it had something to do with today. Urd looked tired and had a tiny bit of worry in her eye. Skuld looked like she couldn't care less if the world ended that second.  
  
"Wow, Belldandy it looks good."  
  
"Thank you Keiichi-san."  
  
They all sat down to eat quietly. Something seemed funny. Belldandy couldn't put her finger on it though. It felt like...like something was about to happen. She always got this feeling when something was about to happen. But what on earth could it be? She only felt this way when something like Urd showing up, or 'that' phone call, or bugs, or something big was going to happen. But everything seemed normal tonight.  
  
"Konbanwa!"  
  
Everyone looked up. Megumi had conveniently let herself in and was now standing in the doorway. "Mind if I eat with you guys?"  
  
"Of course not, come and sit by me."  
  
"Hey, thanks Belldandy." Megumi plopped herself down at the table as Belldandy went to the other room to get her a dish.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Urd poked at her food and looked at Megumi.  
  
"Well, ya see...heh heh...I sort of blew a hole in the wall at my apartment and I can't fix that kind of thing."  
  
"You blew a hole in the wall?" Keiichi sweat dropped. "And how did you manage that one?"  
  
Belldandy sat back down at the table placing a dish in front of Megumi. "Thanks. Well I kind of um...well. I sort of tested the new motorcycle engine, but I forgot check the trottle setting and one of the pistons kind of ah...blew out, you see."  
  
Everyone sweat dropped. "That's ok Megumi." Belldandy patted her on the back. "You can stay here until you get it fixed."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
* * *  
  
Conversation that night was thankfully back to normal. Keiichi was engrossed with Belldandy as always. Skuld was trying as hard as she could to keep from pounding him and laying waste to his soul for keeping at her sister. Belldandy was smiling again and laughing, a stark contrast from the night previous. Megumi sat watching Skuld humorously and keeping in the dialog between her brother and Belldandy.  
  
Urd on the other hand was very quiet. She hadn't eaten much since dinner started. She kept replaying in her mind what Kami-sama had said. That something that dealt with something else that was supposed to happen tonight. And Urd was going to want to stop it. That fact still hung heavy in her mind. She had always been the one that just let things go as they should. The last she had wanted to stop something was when Belldandy had been recalled. What could be so bad so for her to want to stop it?  
  
She sighed to herself and poked at her food. No one was really paying attention to her. Not like it mattered to her anyway. She couldn't figure out what the heck Kami wanted with her. Why 'had' she been told to keep Skuld on edge and to try to drive her other sister up the wall? What was going to happen? What could happen? It was just a normal evening again. No angry goddesses, no bombs, no lightening, no Mara. Just pain old-fashioned nothingness being spouted out at every given moment.  
  
"Urd, aren't you going to eat something?"  
  
Urd glanced up, not bothering to lift her head from the arm it was propped up on. "Hmm?" Belldandy had a slightly worried looked on her face.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah I'm fine, I'm just not hungry tonight for some reason...must be that lunch I made myself." She faked a laugh. It seemed to Belldandy like a reasonable excuse and asked no more, though it did seem to depress her that Urd hadn't eaten to food she had made especially for her. 'Ah, she'll get over it, just like she always does.' Urd laid her fork down and stared off into space.  
  
Urd sat still for a few minutes before her ears perked up. She glanced towards the front room curiously. She waited a moment to make sure it wasn't just her mind playing its dirty little tricks on her again. Nope, there it was again. It sounded like the front door. Urd stood up and the conversation at the other end of the table suddenly ground to a halt. She looked down. "Its just the door guys...I'll get it." Urd walked off as the others started talking again.  
  
She opened the door. "Yes what is..." Urd face vaulted. There in front of her was Sayoko. A Sayoko clad in 'only' a long white, button up shirt, holding a wine bottle and two glasses. She had been obviously drinking, again. Urd regained her composure. "Um...Konbanwa Sayoko, what brings you here at 'this' time of the night?"  
  
"Konbanwa Urd...I uh...Came to see if Keiichi need some...company for the night. If ya know what I mean." She elbowed Urd a little, winking.  
  
"Yeah I know what you mean..." Urd glanced over her shoulder at the door to where the others were eating, hearing laughter. She turned back to Sayoko. "Look if you don't mind, I'm sure there are lots of other lonely guys out there looking for company tonight. Why don't you..."  
  
"Ah, I don't want any of them. I just want Keiichi...Why don't you call em over ere and we can be about our way." She staggered a bit.  
  
"Uh huh...anyway, he's got Belldandy to talk to tonight." 'and every night, as far as you're concerned.'  
  
"Bell...dandy huh? Who needs her?!" Sayoko started getting louder. Urd was now trying to keep her quiet as possible so Belldandy didn't hear her.  
  
"Urd, who is at the door?" Too late. Belldandy emerged from the other room and walked over to the door. "SAYOKO!" She gasped at her attire.  
  
"How ya doin' Bell-chan?!"  
  
"Get out of here NOW!"  
  
'Uh oh.' Urd started to intervene but suddenly Kami's words came back to her head. She winced a bit but moved out of Belldandy's way. 'Ah, it'll be fun to watch at least.'  
  
By this time the others had heard the yelling and had come to investigate. They all crowded out on the porch as Belldandy was pushing Sayoko up and out the path.  
  
"Hey you let me go!"  
  
"This is the last time you come and ruin my evening Sayoko."  
  
"All I wanted was a...little time with Keiichi." Sayoko spun around and faced Belldandy, shocking her and making both stop a little ways from the porch.  
  
"You most certainly did not! Look at what you are wearing!"  
  
Sayoko looked down at herself and back up at Belldandy. "At least 'I' could keep him interested in me. Look at you, you are so...so..."  
  
Belldandy started to feel the angry from the previous night returning. Her fists balled up and she looked down at the ground, desperately trying to control herself.  
  
Sayoko noticed this and made use of it. "Ooo....Big bad Belldandy's getting angry. You cant get angry, you're supposed to be able to forgive anyone. If you got angry what would Keiichi think? Hmm? He'd leave you and come to me in an instant. Ha ha."  
  
Belldandy's teeth started to clinch tighter. Images of the day flashed through her head in rapid fire. "Lair!"  
  
"Ooo. Lair? That's the best you can do? It seems your worse than me at everything. I'm better looking, IM more popular, why I even have a better figure. I mean look..." She ripped open her shirt baring all. "Don't I Keiichi!?"  
  
Keiichi couldn't believe any of this was happening. Belldandy looked worse than the night before and Sayoko had just... His eyes would have almost bugged out if Skuld hadn't shoved her hands in front of his eyes the moment she knew what Sayoko had done.  
  
Belldandy was losing it. She could feel herself losing control. She could feel her lips snarling. She could feel he fingernails digging into her palms.  
  
"Aww, are you jealous of my perfect body miss wonderful?" Sayoko was being sarcastic now. "Well, let see what I've got to compete with!!" With that she reached over and in a blink ripped Belldandy's tee shirt off her, reveling underwear and skin.  
  
Urd and Skuld gasped. Keiichi just stood there blind. "What happened?"  
  
Belldandy froze. She could not believe that Sayoko had just done that. But the cold night air told her a different story. Sayoko laughed in a drunken hysteria.  
  
Something finally snapped.  
  
Belldandy stood straight up, a blue aura forming around her. Her eyes shone with a fierce blue light. Her look of death found its way to her face. Sayoko for some reason stopped laughing. Urd started to run to stop her sister but the words still rang in her ears. 'Do not interfere!'  
  
Belldandy growled at her rival. "You have tortured me for the last time. You...You...You WHORE!" She screamed as loud as she could, raising her arms above her head. Sayoko fell to the ground, eyes full of fear.  
  
Skuld started to run towards the scene but Urd grabbed her. "No you don't." Skuld struggle but could not break free. "Let me go!" "Believe me kid, I wish I could."  
  
Keiichi, having just had his sight restored due to Skuld's absence, gaped at the image in font of him. His love looked, no she 'was' about to kill Sayoko. He wanted to run but shock still held him in place.  
  
A ball of pure blue energy formed in Belldandy's hands. She looked down at Sayoko with a look of unmerciful rage. Sayoko could only stammer. "And now witch..." Belldandy raised the ball up. "YOU DIE!" She thrust her hands downward.  
  
The explosion was deafening.  
  
------- End Part 2 -------  
  
Next time: Is Sayoko dead? How in the world did Belldandy become a murderer? Why is she going nuts? Why has Urd been acting the way she had? What does Kami have to do with any of this? Why do red jellybeans taste better than black jellybeans? Some of these questions answered next time.  
  
Ben Craton  
  
-----  
  
http://tsunami.craton.net  
  
Comments? Critisism? Rampent idiocy? Send to tsunami.no.ai@insightbb.com 


	3. Revelation

Of Angels and Demons  
  
By: Ben Craton  
  
Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and  
  
Kosuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001 by Ben Craton  
  
Of Angels and Demons: Part 3  
  
Revelation  
  
----------------------  
  
Belldandy stood straight up, a blue aura forming around her. Her eyes shone with a fierce blue light. Her look of death found its way to her face. Sayoko for some reason stopped laughing. Urd started to run to stop her sister but the words still rang in her ears. 'Do not interfere!'  
  
Belldandy growled at her rival. "You have tortured me for the last time. You...You...You WHORE!" She screamed as loud as she could, raising her arms above her head. Sayoko fell to the ground, eyes full of fear.  
  
Skuld started to run towards the scene but Urd grabbed her. "No you don't." Skuld struggled but could not break free. "Let me go!" "Believe me kid, I wish I could."  
  
Keiichi, having just had his sight restored due to Skuld's absence, gaped at the image in font of him. His love looked, no she 'was' about to kill Sayoko. He wanted to run but shock still held him in place.  
  
A ball of pure blue energy formed in Belldandy's hands. She looked down at Sayoko with a look of unmerciful rage. Sayoko could only stammer. "And now witch..." Belldandy raised the ball up. "YOU DIE!" She thrust her hands downward.  
  
The explosion was deafening.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi awoke from his slight blackout. Was this all a dream? It had to be. That vision of Belldandy about to kill Sayoko couldn't have been real. Could it have been? He could feel dust in his eyes and lungs. He knew then that his worst fear was true; that he had been witness to a murder committed by his goddess. Opening his eyes, he looked around. He was still lying on the ground, but of course he knew that already. Propping himself up on one arm, he struggled to see what had happened to Belldandy  
  
The dust was starting to clear and he could make out what looked like two people standing where Belldandy had been. He could just make out their outlines; Urd and Skuld. But then where was Belldandy? He struggled and got to his feet. Coughing, he walked over to the other goddesses. They were looking down at something with worried expressions. Skuld, it appeared, was kneeling over whatever it was. He walked up next to Urd and put his hand on her shoulder to support himself as he was a still little shook up.  
  
Urd glanced over at Keiichi for a moment and then looked back down. He couldn't help but follow her stare. On the ground, a few feet away, lay Sayoko, fully intact not a scratch on her body. Yet she was out like a light. He couldn't figure it out, where was... He looked over at Skuld and felt his heart shatter. Belldandy, his one and only love, lay in a heap on her left side. Her face was black from ash or something like it. She looked dead.  
  
Keiichi bent down and wiped some of the black stuff of her face, tears starting to come to his eyes He wanted to do something for her, but what could he do? He looked up at Urd with pity. She only shook her head.  
  
"So this is what he meant."  
  
"What are you talking about? This is what who meant?"  
  
"Nothing. Never mind, is she breathing alright?"  
  
"Breathing? Urd, she's dead!"  
  
She looked at him with a strange questioning look. "Keiichi, you think that one bolt of lightning can kill a goddess?"  
  
Keiichi was confused as ever. He wanted to ask more but he checked for her anyway. He knelt beside Belldandy and put his ear next to her mouth. She was breathing. His heart leapt for joy and he hugged her, even though she did not return the favor. After a moment he listened again, just to make sure. She 'was' breathing. Actually, if he hadn't had known better he would have said she was asleep. He stood and turned to Urd.  
  
"She's alive, thank Kami."  
  
Urd crossed her arms. "What did you expect?"  
  
Keiichi ignored her and wiped a tear from his eye. He looked back down at Belldandy. "Now Urd, would you care to explain what just happened here?"  
  
Urd's face turned somewhat sheepish "Well...you see Keiichi--" Skuld suddenly jumped up. "Urd Urd! Come here and look!"  
  
Urd shut her mouth and jumped over to her sister to see what she was so excited about. It appeared that Belldandy was lying on what looked like a box drawn in the ground with runes written within it. Urd gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Its from the Lord!" She looked up, motioning with both arms for Keiichi to come to her.  
  
"Quick Keiichi pick up Belldandy and take her in. We'll be there in just a second."  
  
Keiichi stood still for a moment. Everything was happening so fast. Why had Belldandy become unconscious in the first place? What was Urd so excited about? He wanted, no he needed to know. Urd looked up again. "KEIICHI!"  
  
"Huh?." He snapped out of his questioning.  
  
"Take Belldandy in!"  
  
"Right." Keiichi gently picked up his love and cradled her in his arms. She was still as light as ever. Turning, he walked back into the temple to lay her down and wash her face. On the way in though he passed a still unconscious Megumi on the porch. Stopping for a moment he thought about trying to get both of them in. Instead, he sighed and continued on the way. First things first.  
  
Urd and Skuld watched them go. "Its nice how he likes her so much."  
  
"Be quiet Urd. Read this before it vanishes! Its to you."  
  
Urd looked back to the message in the ground. She read it slowly and methodically. "To Urd, goddess first Class unlimited license--"  
  
Skuld face vaulted. "First class u...unlimited license!!!???"  
  
"Heh heh...I'll explain in a minute." Skuld balled her fists and fumed nonetheless.  
  
Urd ignored her and continued to read the message aloud.  
  
"To Urd, goddess first class unlimited license, and to Skuld, second class limited license: Due to recent occurrences and circumstances beyond your control, I am recalling the both of you and your sister. And am requesting that you bring with you the two mortals with whom you live. We will discuss matters when you get here. Report immediately to my office when you arrive. So it is written."  
  
Urd cocked her head in confusion. "Bring Keiichi and Megumi?"  
  
Skuld looked up to her sister. "I'm more concerned about this first class thing." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground.  
  
"Uhh....how about one thing at a time. Come on, let's not keep 'him' waiting longer than necessary." She turned and started into the house.  
  
Skuld started in but paused for a second. "Urd, what about Sayoko?"  
  
"Ah, leave her. She'll wake up thinking this was all a dream." Urd picked up Megumi off the porch and carried her into the room where Keiichi was caring for Belldandy. Urd gently set Megumi down in the recliner and stood looking at Keiichi for a second. He returned the stare.  
  
"Urd, would you care to explain how we went from dinner, to murder, to my Bell-chan laying asleep on the couch?"  
  
Urd let out an audible sigh and shook her head. "Look Keiichi, to be honest, all I know is that she was hit by lighting right as she was about to ax Sayoko. And I know that the lightning was heaven sent. Besides that, I know as much as you do."  
  
Keiichi sighed and looked back down at his love. She looked like she had only fallen asleep, not gotten nailed with a bolt of lightning. He moved some stray hair away from her face. A small glimmer caught his eye. He looked at it curiously. "Hey Urd, what do you know about this?" He pointed at Belldandy's ear. Small pieces and shards of gold sat where her earring used to be.  
  
Urd examined it for a second then suddenly grew nervous. "Heh heh. Umm. Looks like Kami hit her earring with that lightning bolt of his. This is not good if she wakes up anytime soon with the mood she was just in." She stood. "Come on Skuld! We have to go, now!!"  
  
Keiichi looked at Urd with confused eyes. "Going? What do you mean going?"  
  
Skuld ran in the room just as Urd began a spell. "Wait...we cant go anywhere right now...Hey stop!"  
  
All five of them disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi put his hand over his eyes. The change from dark room to brilliant light made his eyes hurt. Slowly though, his eyes adjusted to the new conditions. He looked around through squinted eyes at where they were. It appeared that they were now all in the middle of a grand hall. White granite pillars lined the smooth marble walls. The ceiling was at least five stories high off the ground and looked as if it was just one continuous skylight, letting in the sight of a clear blue sky. At the end of the hall was a set of huge wooden doors with intricate decorations, that stretched from ground to ceiling. Below these was a small desk with a blonde woman sitting behind it.  
  
Urd started walking in the direction of the doors. "Come on Keiichi. Bring Belldandy with you." He looked back down at Belldandy; she was still asleep on his left. She was completely dead to the fact they were in heaven now. He scooped her up in his arms and started after Urd. After a few steps, he heard some grunting behind him. He turned to see that Skuld was trying to pick up Megumi. "Hey Skuld."  
  
She looked up at him. "Just drag her."  
  
Skuld gave Keiichi a second look. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Do you actually think she's gonna care?"  
  
She looked down at the sleeping human and shrugged. "I guess not."  
  
Keiichi smiled slightly and started back towards Urd and the doors. He couldn't help but be amazed at were he was. He was 'in' heaven. Everything was so bright and so big. The sun, or whatever they had up here, was shining down through the skylight on him. It felt so...refreshing. What a story he'd have for his sempais when he got back. Which reminded him, what in the world was he doing here in the first place?  
  
He tried replaying the night over in his head again. He had been sitting, laughing with Belldandy. Then Sayoko came over. Belldandy saw her and got angry again. And she was about to kill her when...she was hit by lightning from Kami-sama. And that lightning brought the message that everyone, including his sister and himself, was to be brought to heaven to see...Kami. It all seemed so, bizarre.  
  
What did he do wrong that he should be here? Or what good did he do that should have the privilege to be here? It just didn't make sense. Keiichi noticed he was nearing the desk and also that Urd was talking to the receptionist. She stood and motioned for Keiichi to follow her. The doors began to open and she stepped inside. He glanced back at Skuld, making sure she was keeping up. She was, at least for dragging someone for that far. He turned forward again as he stepped past the threshold.  
  
It was pick black. He couldn't see anything except Urd, who had stopped a few paces in and was now just standing. He walked up beside her. "What's going on?"  
  
"You're going to meet the Lord." She spoke very matter of factly.  
  
Keiichi gulped. "You mean Kami-sama?"  
  
"That would be him."  
  
Keiichi very quickly became nervous. "Heh heh...You're kidding right?"  
  
"Nope." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes.  
  
Skuld drug Megumi up next to Keiichi. "Uuh...Keiichi you didn't tell me your sister was so heavy."  
  
He opened his mouth to respond suddenly the doors slammed shut. Darkness surrounded them but they could still see each other. Keiichi looked around and shifted Belldandy in his arms. "Well, where is he then?"  
  
Suddenly light engulfed them and they were standing in a huge room. Plants and windows covered the walls of pure marble. In the center of the room was a raised step, on the top of which was a huge desk. A black chair sat behind this desk, its high back turned facing the group. From here a voice spoke.  
  
"I'm glad you came so quickly Urd."  
  
"My Lord."  
  
Urd and Skuld bowed deeply down on one knee. Keiichi was caught off guard and tried to get down on one knee too, but the weight of Belldandy threw his balance off a bit. He staggered and stood up again. Urd looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. "Get down you idiot."  
  
A soft laughter came from the chair. "Do not worry son. You may rise."  
  
Urd and Skuld stood back up as the chair turned and a man stood. He walked slowly over to the small group. Keiichi could not keep his eyes off him. This was Kami. No joke. The man was no taller than himself. He had a black head of hair and a black beard, mixed with many gray hairs, that came down past his shoulders. The clothes he had on were that almost of a priest; a white robe on with a green oriental looking shawl over it that reached to his ankles. He walked with a noticeable limp and looked to be in his sixties, yet Keiichi figured he had to be much older.  
  
Kami walked up to Keiichi and looked him straight in the eye. "So...you are the man that my Belldandy finds so wonderful?" His voice sounded so commanding yet so gentle at the same time. Keiichi was at a loss for words. He was talking to god for crying out loud.  
  
"I suppose...uh sir."  
  
Kami chuckled. "Humble too I see." He moved on to Urd. "I'm glad to see that you are finally able to get here on time for a change."  
  
Urd kept looking forward almost militarily. Gone was her usual playful attitude. Keiichi had never seen her this serious before. "I was just doing what I was told my lord."  
  
He nodded. "I see...Skuld my child, I see you have brought the other mortal."  
  
"Yes my lord."  
  
"Good good. I want to speak with these two alone if you please."  
  
Urd looked at him questionably. "With Keiichi and Megumi? What for?"  
  
Kami looked at her with some compassion. "You will soon know for yourself. Please, take your sisters to your old quarters. And let me know when Belldandy wakes up, if you don't mind."  
  
Urd looked confused but consented nonetheless. "Yes my lord." She walked over and took Belldandy from Keiichi's arms, giving Keiichi a strange 'I wish I knew what was going on' look as she did. Skuld lay Megumi down gently on the floor and started back towards the door along with Urd.  
  
Keiichi watched them until the doors shut again. He looked back at Kami. He was leaning over his sister. "Alright little one, time to come back to the waking world." He touched her forehead with a finger and her eyes shot open.  
  
She sat up slowly, hand on her head. Looking somewhat disoriented, she glanced around the room. All of the sudden it dawned on her she wasn't at home any more. She jumped up. "Wha!! Where am I? Who are you?" She looked around feverishly and on her guard. The fear in her eyes was almost hysteric.  
  
Kami paid little mind to her antics and remained very calm. "Be still my child." He raised his hand, palm toward Megumi, and suddenly she became calm and collected like she had been awake the whole time. The fear drained from her eyes.  
  
"Where am I sir?"  
  
Kami smiled. "You are in heaven. But before you think you have died, do not worry. You are not dead, you are very much alive in fact."  
  
Megumi did show a look of confusion. "And, why would we be in heaven sir?"  
  
Kami once more put a finger to her forehead and closed his eyes. A beam of light raced along his arm and into her head. She winced for a moment and then looked at Keiichi, blinking a few times.  
  
"You little creep! Why didn't you ever tell me Belldandy and her sisters were goddesses!?"  
  
Keiichi was taken a back at the sudden outburst. He realized then that all the knowledge about Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld could have been passed so quickly. He looked at his sister; she was half fuming and half being angry, and figured there was no point in trying to make excuses. "Megumi, would you really have believed me?"  
  
She blinked. The anger seemed to disappear, replaced by confusion again. "Hmm...I guess I wouldn't have would I?"  
  
Keiichi smiled. Kami looked less than enthused. "My children. You are probably wondering why I have you brought here. Especially since you are not dead."  
  
The two siblings nodded.  
  
"You see," He began walking back to his desk. "You two are very special too us."  
  
"We are?"  
  
"Yes, Keiichi. You especially."  
  
Keiichi's eyebrows went up. "Whatever for? I've never done anything special."  
  
Kami sat back down in his chair and turned it to face the front of the desk. He waved his hand and two more smaller, yet no less luxurious, black chairs appeared before him. "Please, have a seat."  
  
Keiichi looked at his sister and shrugged. Together they both took a seat in front of god.  
  
"Ah, where should I begin?" Kami clasped his hand together in thought. "I guess the beginning would be quite sufficient." He looked at Keiichi. "Son, do you remember fully what happened to you in your youth?"  
  
"You mean about me and Belldandy?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I do remember most of it, I think."  
  
Kami seemed slightly disappointed. "I guess that's better than nothing... Keiichi, about the same time you were born, I created Belldandy. I guess that's nothing short of coincidence, except for the fact that I had not planed on creating any of the three girls you know. And Belldandy just happened to fall about the same time you did.  
  
"Well, anyway, I'm rambling again. I'll try to get to the point... You see son, there is a terrible evil that has been growing in the world. Poverty, drugs, beatings, war, all of it growing more so now than it ever has before. I am sure you have noticed it. I created Urd first, thinking that I could somehow drive back the evil with her in the front. However, a demon intervened somehow as she was forming. This unfortunate mishap gave rise to a half-goddess, half demon Urd.  
  
"After that... well I hate to use the word 'failure,' but it was in a sense, but I figured that I would try to create a being strong enough to defeat this evil again. This time I made my creation so pure that even 'if' evil intervened she would still be glorious enough to triumph for our cause. Evil however did not do so and you now know that creation as Belldandy. The loving, caring, tenderhearted goddess we've all come to love. Right son?"  
  
Kami winked at Keiichi who blushed slightly. Kami chuckled to himself. "Don't worry Keiichi, I have no problem with you two being together at all...Anyway, where was I...Ah yes, we raised Belldandy to be a wonderful goddess. Her teacher was Celestine. Lets just say that he was less than we hoped he could have been for her. But still, before he pulled that stunt with us, he was a profound teacher of wisdom and character for her. We figured that she would be perfect for the destruction of the evil entity. However, she turned out a bit, umm... 'too' pure. Pure in a sense that she was almost a total pacifist. She refused to learn how to use any of her powers for fighting or anything of that sort."  
  
Kami sighed and leaned his head on one arm on his desk. "But I guess we can't hold that against her. She 'is' the best goddess we've ever had. Her sister Skuld, though, was formed not for the evil, for by that time we knew that she would not grow fast enough to combat it. She was formed because, well actually, because Urd wanted her."  
  
Keiichi and Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"  
  
"Oh yes, quite so. You may think of them as always fighting, but Urd cared for her sister almost like her mother until she was called away for Sysop duty and Skuld was sent to Yggdrasil for programming lessons. Anyway, this is getting us farther from where we need to be.  
  
"Keiichi when you were a boy, Belldandy met you and together you made a promise to see each other again. We forbad that promise and had her erase your memory because she was not licensed, nor did she have any idea what she was doing. And we would have not thought twice about it afterwards had you not said what you did."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that it would have just been another mishap by an immature goddess and we would have forgotten all about it after it was over. But you did something that made us start thinking that maybe there was more to you than we thought."  
  
"And what was that sir?"  
  
"You told Belldandy to go ahead and erase your memory. You didn't raise a fuss or think twice. You just let her do it, knowing that if you did, she would not be punished as severely. We found that extremely intriguing for the likes of a five year old. Once she returned, we gave her to Celestine, but we kept on watching you Keiichi. Everyday. We wanted to know what made our Belldandy like you so much. Did you know, she talked about you almost on a constant basis once she got back? She had convinced herself that one day she would see you again."  
  
"Aww." Megumi elbowed her brother, smiling.  
  
"The moment she transferred to the relief goddess office we knew the reason why. She wanted to grant you a wish. And we would have stopped her from doing it too if we hadn't had a moment of thought. Keiichi, we knew what you would wish for and we knew that you would take good care of our Belldandy. But there was another reason we chose to let her go to you.  
  
"You see, we still had the problem of the rising force of evil and yet we still had no warrior. At least not one powerful enough, or that would use their power. So we figured that if she were on earth, eventually she would come to realize that the evil was spreading and that she would have to use her power to stop it.  
  
"But ...she didn't. And right now the time is nearing when war between heaven and hell will break out again and we have no one to turn too. Our only hope was Belldandy. We need her power and we need it fast."  
  
"Uh sir," Megumi raised a hand. "So why are 'we' here? This sounds like a goddess thing to me."  
  
"This is where it gets difficult for you. You see, Belldandy has almost no knowledge of her power. She knows its there but refuses to use it. We had to come up with some way to awaken her power with out her resisting. So we called Urd and told her to start heckling Skuld to no end in order to get Belldandy on nerves end. Crude and mean, yes. But it was the only way we could think of getting the job while making sure the demons never found out what we were doing. We hoped that if the irritation grew that Belldandy's limits would be stretched and that she would eventually do something drastic.  
  
"I.E. what you saw her almost do to Sayoko. We stopped that from happening by use of hitting her in the head with a lightning bolt. No, this was not an act of desperation. We had to have some way of stopping her and also a way of destroying that earring of hers without tipping off the demons that we were planning on using her. Call it killing two birds with one bolt of lightning. The demons would never suspect that the pure, sweet Belldandy is our greatest weapon."  
  
Kami smiled, "Did you have that idea?"  
  
Keiichi still looked a little confused. "No...You mean my Belldandy is...?"  
  
"The greatest hope the world has and the most feared weapon ever developed."  
  
Megumi stood. "You talk like she's nothing more than a thing, something for you to use!"  
  
"No no, my child. She is nothing like that in our eyes. To us she is the greatest creation. She is wonderful. She loves Keiichi; she could certainly not be a thing. When all is said and done she will have learned a great deal and will be able to do whatever she wants. But right now you have to understand that we need her to do what she was made for. To save all you hold dear."  
  
Megumi's anger subsided a little as understanding started sinking in and she sat back down. Keiichi leaned forward. "But sir, what does all this have to do with us?" He gestured between himself and Megumi.  
  
"It has everything to do with you. You are more to us than just the mortals who live with and love our goddesses. You have been their teachers and advisors. You are their greatest influences and you are where the power of their spirits rest. You, Keiichi, have been faithful to Belldandy ever since she got there and we knew you would protect her even if you were to give your own life. Am I correct?"  
  
"I would sir."  
  
"It is the fact that you love her and the fact that you mean so much to her that makes you special to her. It is the fact you are their influences and the inspiration that drives them on that makes you special to us. And it is because of all this that I have made a recommendation, that has been secretly passed by the council of high angels, and approved by Yggdrasil, that you, Keiichi and Megumi Morisato will here by, this day, become divine."  
  
* * *  
  
Belldandy stirred slightly and opened her eyes. Her head was pounding, like a bulldozer had just hit it. She put a hand to her head in a futile attempt to make the pain leave her. What had happened? She sat up in the plush bed she was in. Where was she? It looked like...heaven? Why in the world would she be back home? She shook her head and tried to remember where she was last. The pain of her head though made her thoughts seem immersed in a deep fog. She had been sitting with Keiichi at the table...Then Sayoko came by again...and then Sayoko tore off her shirt...but nothing after that rang a bell.  
  
Speaking of bells, her ear was ringing something awful too. She moved her hand to it. She pulled and massaged her ear, hoping that maybe somehow it would make the ringing would go away, and so would her headache. Something though didn't fell quite right. She fumbled with her ear for another minute before she realized what it was. Her earring was gone. A sharp dread hit her. This was not good. That earring was the only thing keeping her power at bay since she had never learned how to use it completely. She jumped out of bed and looked into a mirror on the vanity at one end of the room. The mark on her head was still a full diamond. She breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her power was still sealed somehow. Or it could be that she would break the seal if she used her power at all.  
  
She winced at that thought. After the she had been acting the past few days, the last thing she wanted was to have all her power at her disposal at once. She walked back and sat on the bed with a sigh. She wished everything was back to normal. She didn't want to be mean, she wanted to be the nice and friendly goddess she loved being and everyone loved being around. She wanted to talk to Keiichi right now. She looked around the room. Where was he anyway? Where was anyone?  
  
She got up and walked to the door. Opening it a crack, she peeked out. Urd was sitting, in what years ago used to be their kitchen, at the table reading something. Skuld was sitting on the floor building something. No Keiichi though. Her heart dropped a notch but she walked out to talk anyway.  
  
Urd looked up from her romance novel. "So the sleeping beauty rises from the dead. Its about time you woke up."  
  
Belldandy was still a bit dazed, as her head would not stop pounding. "Urd... where is Keiichi?"  
  
"Keiichi and his sister are in having a chat with Kami-sama. Are you all right? You don't look so good."  
  
Belldandy gasped. "What!? What are they doing up here?"  
  
"Don't ask me, its the lord's orders."  
  
Belldandy took a seat across from Urd and leaned on the table. A confused look on her face. She sat for a moment looking at the floor, still holding her head. "Do you know why?"  
  
"Not a clue. All Kami said was that 'we would know all in due time' or something."  
  
She nodded. "I see. What are we doing back at our home anyway?"  
  
"I brought you all up here on Kami's orders, and when we had an audience with him, he told me to book you guys over here. So here we are. Oh, he also told us to wait and call him when you woke up."  
  
Belldandy nodded and glanced at her sister. "Speaking of...why was I asleep... and where is my earring?" She pulled at her ear, it still feeling odd from the removal of the normal weight.  
  
Urd winced a bit. "Umm...You mean you don't remember what you almost did?"  
  
Belldandy's face grew worried. "No...What did I almost do?"  
  
Skuld spoke without looking up from her little project. "You just about killed Sayoko."  
  
'Big mouth.'  
  
Belldandy gasped and covered her mouth. She shot a desperate look at Urd. "I didn't...Did I?"  
  
Urd sighed and set her book down. "Bell-chan, I'm afraid you did..." She could see the anxiety and fret building exponentially on her sister. "But don't worry, she was drunk and she'll think is was a dream."  
  
This did little to cure Belldandy's remorse. She began to weep of regret. Urd got up and knelt beside her sister, putting her arm around her. She shook her gently. "Come on sis. You didn't mean to do it; you just snapped that's all. It could have been any one of us."  
  
Belldandy looked at Urd through tears and the anger at herself. "But it wasn't you Urd! It was me! Me! Of all the people, I...I could never have..." She trailed off and became quiet. Tears flowing freely down her face and falling on Urd's knee. Her eyes staring off to a distant place. Urd just hugged her little sister, a single tear running down her face as well. 'Kami-sama had better have a damn good reason for all this.'  
  
Skuld sat quietly watching as Urd comforted her sister. She was somewhat amazed that Urd had a sensitive bone anywhere in her body. After being tormented all week she had come to think that Urd was nothing more than a constant pain in the neck. But, then why would she be so...loving all of the sudden?  
  
She noticed a tear fall from her eldest sisters eye. A tear? Urd, cry? Maybe she was more than Skuld gave her credit for. But then why had she been acting so mean to her lately? And why would she have been promoted with out her knowing about it? It just didn't make sense. She shook her head and went back to her work on power regulator bracelet Urd had insisted on being built, figuring that was all she could do right now.  
  
Skuld didn't know why Urd had been so insistent on it, but ever since they had come here she had been making sure that it was getting done. She didn't know why she was even bothering to listen to her older sister. Maybe it was the trace of desperation and urgency that lined her voice when she asked.  
  
She blinked away a tear. That's not they needed right now. No crying. She tried concentrating on the bracelet, but the soft sound of Belldandy kept forcing itself in her ear. Just the overwhelming remorse of it all. It was like Belldandy hadn't been in control of herself but she was still taking responsibility. It was just all too much for Skuld's young mind.  
  
Everything had happened so fast, nothing had even had a chance to sink in and now it all wanted to sink in at once. Belldandy 'had' almost killed. Killed. How...why? Nothing quite made sense any more.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi's eyes had not blinked for a full minute and his mouth hung slightly open. He could not believe what he had just heard. Megumi was almost a mirror image of her brother. His mouth was moving tying to say something but nothing would come out. Kami sat patiently and smiled at them. Keiichi finally got something out.  
  
"Co...Come again?"  
  
Kami smiled all the more and leaned forward on his desk. "I said, you and your sister are now going to be third class gods, with limited licenses."  
  
Keiichi sat back. His mouth twitching at one corner. "Heh heh...You can't be serious."  
  
"Oh, but I am quite serious. We need your help, Keiichi and Megumi. You two are the closest to the three sisters and you have the heart for it. If that doesn't suffice for you then lets say this is a strategic move on our part. Of course you don't 'have' do go through with it if you don't want to... Do you have any objections to becoming a god?"  
  
Megumi was just now sort of letting it sink in. "Uhh...I guess not." She looked at Keiichi. He looked back with an unbelieving stare.  
  
"Good, good." Kami picked up the phone on his desk. "Hello, Ashel. Get me Michel...Thank you...Hello Michel, that's a go ahead...Yes it is." He set the phone back down and looked back at the two siblings, folding his hands. "In about one minute my request will be processed by Yggdrasil. At that time there is no going back. Are you absolutely sure?"  
  
They nodded sheepishly. What was there to lose?  
  
Kami stood and started walking towards where there was a large circle engraved into the floor near the doors. The circle looked like a large pattern, as the one Urd used to keep Belldandy on earth. He motioned for brother and sister to come to him. They rose cautiously and walked to him.  
  
As they neared Kami, he pointed for them to stand in the center. "There you go. Now, stand right there and clear your mind. It will be quite a rush I am sure." He stepped away just as the ornate pattern started to glow with a blue tint. The ancient runes inscribed in the circle highlighted themselves in blue light. The glow seemed to overflow the markings and filled the circle completely. Small white streams of light began to burst out of the blue towards the ceiling. It was almost like they were standing in a fountain of light.  
  
Soon the small white streams grew in number and became columns rather than spurts. There were so many of them that the circle was now the base of one huge white column of light. Keiichi felt himself slowly being lifted off the ground. He started to feel the light enter every pore in his body, penetrating his soul so to speak. His mind felt light and free. He could see nothing but white, yet he could see everything all at once. He could hear nothing but the gentle rush of air, yet the sounds of the earth, everywhere all at once, were picked up by his ears. The sensation was overwhelming, exhilarating, everything. Then suddenly the upward motion of power stopped and the light fazed into a dark, neon blue.  
  
Keiichi's senses became numb and his mind started feeling strange. Still floating in the air, his life started replaying through his mind. Every event so exact and detailed, it was as if he was reliving it. He saw his birth, his sister's birth, his school years, the meeting with Belldandy, the wish, the life he had been living for the past few years. Then as soon as his life story had started, it stopped as well. Keiichi felt the air around him getting thick, almost like water.  
  
The column of blue light started crackling with black lighting around its edges. The power Keiichi felt started moving towards the floor. Slowly at first, but it began increasing in speed and intensity. He opened his eyes but he did not see the chamber he was in. He saw instead the formation of the universe. The intense power cascaded down on him now so hard, it was like a hurricane gushing passed him. His sight was nothing but the history of the earth. Life, love, hate, grass, trees, people, kingdoms, wars, more and more went by faster and faster. His head felt like it was about to explode. Like the hurricane around him was coursing through every inch of his mind and soul.  
  
The images, the scenes flew past at a million miles an hour. The life story of every human ever to walk the earth flashed past his eyes. He suddenly knew the names, ages, birthdays, loves, and enemies of everyone everywhere. The ground Kami was standing on began to shake, wind howling from the light, which had since turned black with white lightning. Languages dead and alive entered his mind as fluently as if he had invented them himself. Keiichi saw the death of everyone. The wars, the atrocities, the hate, the evil. It was all he could take. Keiichi screamed, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. Yet the images did not stop. He saw the future. His pupils shrunk to almost nothing. He put his hands over his head and screamed again.  
  
Suddenly the column exploded, not destroying anything, but throwing energy out around the chamber. Kami covered his eyes and waited for the noise to cease. Finally he looked up again. Keiichi and Megumi hung, still suspended in mid air, unconscious. Slowly they floated down to the ground as a few strings of lightning crackled around their bodies. Kami walked over to them.  
  
"Ahh...Wonderful! Glorious." He bent over and inspected them. Their clothes had disappeared and had been replaced by simple sleeveless white robes. He looked at their foreheads. Keiichi now had a light blue inverted diamond just like Belldandy's, yet it was slightly wider than hers, with edges that curved inward, between his eyes. Smaller versions were on his cheeks. Megumi had a dark blue oval, standing on end with a void like Skuld's in the middle of it, on her head. Diamonds like Keiichi's were on her cheeks.  
  
Kami stood and smiled, clapping his hands together with joy. "Splendid. This was most exciting." He walked slowly to his desk and picked up the phone. "Hello Ashel...No, it was nothing, do not worry about it. Please put me through to Michel...Thank you...Hello Michel...Yes, it was a tremendous success. Please come and take our new borns to my residence for them to rest. They will need much rest after all they just learned." He turned at looked at the two sleeping bodies and grinned. "Yes, and when you do that, go and tell Urd and her sisters to come to me."  
  
* * *  
  
Urd sat back down at the table. Waving her hand, she produced a cup of coffee for herself. She figured she might as well. Belldandy was still sitting where she had been since she had come out of her room, quietly sipping the same black liquid every now and again. Urd had calmed her down to a point, at least where she didn't look like death warmed over anymore. Urd had figured the coffee might help her calm down some more. It worked for humans, why not goddesses? But still, Belldandy's eyes were distant. However, they were a far cry from before when she had been impersonating a waterfall.  
  
Urd went back to reading her book, catching a glimpse of her sister every so often. After a minute or two, she realized that she couldn't quite focus on her book. She laid it back on the table and stared out one of the windows.  
  
Something wasn't right. After calling Ashel and informing her of Belldandy's arrival back to the world of the living, she couldn't help but feel that something was out of the ordinary. Urd had heard a dull rumble a few minutes before now, but had thought nothing of it. But now that she did think about it, there wasn't any thunder up here. Also, at the time of that rumbling she had felt some kind of power, like a breeze, go right through her. It seemed so strange.  
  
She shrugged it off, trying not to dwell on it too long. She'd get a headache if she kept thinking about it much longer. She looked back at Belldandy. She was still sitting there, silent. Urd sighed and decided to check on Skuld. She had taken a break from the bracelet and was now lying on the floor just staring at the ceiling and kicking her legs in the air. It was, all in all, way too quiet and for Urd, boring.  
  
Suddenly a knock was heard on the front door. Skuld sat up again with her hands in her lap. Urd almost leapt to the door. 'Finally, maybe someone who will liven this bunch up.' She looked out of the peephole. A tall, strong looking man with almost form fitting white clothes and what looked to be shoulder length blonde hair stood just beyond her. "Who is it?"  
  
Whoever it was spoke with a deep, almost sensual voice. "Michel...Its been too long... Urd."  
  
Urd took a step back and gulped. Skuld was puzzled. "Who is it Urd?"  
  
"Its...its Michel."  
  
Skuld got a slight touch of nervousness too and started to twiddle her thumbs. Urd grabbed the handle of the door and took a deep breath. She opened the door putting on her best fake smile. "Why...look Skuld its Michel. Good to see you Michel ol' buddy, ol' pal. Come on in wont you?" She smiled with her teeth all glowing pearly white.  
  
Michel gave her no heed and stepped in the door, passing her. She stood a second controlling herself. Turning she shut the door behind her. Michel stood in the center of the room and crossed his arms. "Urd I know we are not on the best terms, but it is not my wish to be here. Kami-sama has told me to come and bring you all to his office."  
  
"You have a talent for understatements... Michel. We were just leaving anyway. Come on Skuld, Belldandy...Belldandy?"  
  
Belldandy looked up slowly, just then realizing that Michel was there. She smiled faintly and set her now empty cup down on the table. Standing, she bowed slightly and spoke for the first time in about an hour. "Hello Michel. It has been quite a while. It is good to finally see you--"  
  
"No its not." Urd grabbed Belldandy by the arm and literally dragged her out of the house, Skuld in toe. Belldandy gave Michel a quick apologetic wave as Urd carted her off.  
  
Michel stood in the room still, now alone. He sighed and looked around the room. It was still unchanged since he was last in there. He turned and was about to leave when he spotted something on the floor near his feet. Bending down, he examined it. It appeared to be a retaining bracelet. 'It must be for Belldandy. Skuld was probably building it. I think I'll take it to her when she is done in Kami's office. Maybe it might get me on good terms with at least one of them.' Picking it up, he slipped it into a pocket in his trousers. Giving the room one last look, he left to follow the others.  
  
* * *  
  
Warm light coursed over the sleeping body of one newly formed god. Keiichi's eyes twitched as the light interrupted his slumber. Consciousness returned his mind to the world of the aware. He thought for a second about the strange dream he had just had. It was almost comical. He had come to heaven and Kami had turned him into a god. He smiled slightly and sat up. His eyes slowly starting to work in the bright light.  
  
He blinked a few times and yawned, stretching out his arms. Glancing around he suddenly discovered he was no longer dreaming. The room he was in was very plain but nonetheless...glorious. One wall was nothing but windows that let in the sun. The floor, made of marble, bounded the light to the other three white walls. The bed he was sitting on was very plush with white silk sheets. Just to his left he noticed a vanity. Keiichi locked his eyes on it, unbelieving what he saw.  
  
On his forehead was a very prominent blue mark. A diamond like Belldandy's yet, the sides were curved in. He put his hand to it. It felt like ordinary skin, like it 'was' his skin. He rubbed it, making sure it wasn't a trick Urd was pulling on him. The mark stayed put. No smudges, no streaks. He was still slightly bewildered, and then he noticed his clothes. Or cloth.  
  
Keiichi got out up out of the bed and stood facing the mirror. He was wearing a long white robe. Actually it was more like a long sack with holes for his head and arms. Simple and white. He felt of it with his fingers. It felt like satin, though a little softer. He dropped his hands to his side and looked in the mirror. So, he hadn't been dreaming after all. He was a...god.  
  
Keiichi smiled at this thought. 'I'm a god.' He laughed inwardly. 'Wont my sempai be shocked.'  
  
END PART 3  
  
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What is the big secret surrounding Belldandy's power? Why is Kami desperate to let it out? What is Urd's problem with Michel? How could it be that Keiichi and Megumi are now gods? Who else will pop up and what secret is held within them? I might answer these questions, next time.  
  
Comments, Criticism, Rampant Idiocy? Send to tsunami.no.ai@insightbb.com  
  
http://tsunami.craton.net  
  
This and more archived at http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=directory- authorprofile&UserId=84815  
  
Ja ne. 7.7.2001 


	4. Mortis Sanctimonia

Of Angels and Demons  
By: Ben Craton  
Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and  
Kosuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001, 2002 by Ben Craton  
  
Of Angels and Demons: Part 4  
Mortis Sanctimonia  
  
----------------------  
Warning: This and following chapters are going to be referring to the A!MS movie. If you have not seen it, you need too. While not all references are spoilers, some will be. Just thought I'd warn you.  
----------------------   
  
Keiichi stood in front of the vanity proudly, hands on his hips. 'I'm a god.' He chuckled slightly to himself, 'Wont my sempai be shocked.' It was such a big thought. Here he was. That morning he had been Keiichi, just plain old Keiichi. And now he looked at himself in the mirror. He was a god.  
  
Although he couldn't feel any difference between the mortal life and the immortal life, something still assured him this was all real. He could remember anything and everything form the dawn of creation to the present and slightly into the future, even though this was very blurry, he could see it all. He turned and looked out of the wall of windows.  
  
He couldn't explain it. Everything felt so...alive. He knew so much now, even how Urd had asked for Skuld to be created. All his unanswered questions about the past had been answered in a single minute. And now here he was, looking out on the buildings and fields of heaven. It was like a dream.  
  
Suddenly something dawned on him. He franticaly clutched at his chest, hoping it would still be there. After a second of desperation, his hand finaly grabbed hold of the small object dangling from his neck. Though the rest of his clothes had been changed during the transformation, his ring was still with him. He squeezed it gently with his hand.  
  
A soft knock was at the door. Keiichi turned his head slightly and tucked the ring back under his robe. "Come in."  
  
  
The door opened and Megumi stepped in wearing the same thing Keiichi had, a simple straight robe. He turned back to the window as she walked up beside him. Silence over took them as each tried to think of something to say. What does one say when they were just made into a god?  
  
Megumi glanced over at her brother and then back out of the window. "Keiichi...Is this...is this all a dream."  
  
  
He didn't move. "Its real, I think...but it couldn't be a dream. Right?"  
  
  
"I don't know. We 'are' standing here talking to each other."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"We 'do' know everything that has ever happened."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"We are gods now."  
  
"Yup."  
  
Megumi turned to her brother. "And you don't think it's a dream?"  
  
Keiichi's eyes fell a bit and he faced Megumi. "I don't really know. But if it is, would you want to wake up?"  
  
She seemed to contemplate this a minute and then looked back out the window. "I guess not."  
  
* * *  
  
"Urd, quit walking so fast."  
  
Skuld was almost running trying to keep up with her older sister. They had been walking for quite a while and at a very rapid pace. She didn't know why they just didn't fly to Kami's office; it would have taken maybe a minute or two. But Urd had not stopped walking since leaving their house. Belldandy had had the right idea; she was floating a foot off the ground, right behind Urd. Skuld had been doing this earlier but hadn't had enough power yet to keep up.  
  
For some reason, that Skuld still had yet to understand, Urd had always despised Michel. At least that was the way it was ever since she could remember. She didn't know what it could be. Urd was a stickler for fine looking men and Michel was no exception, to others besides Skuld of course. He had always been charming to Belldandy and herself, but Urd still had hated even hearing his name. She continued running after her sisters. Whatever the reason, to make Urd 'walk' anywhere was a feat in itself.  
  
Finally, after what had seemed an eternity to Skuld, they arrived at the giant wooden doors yet again. Urd was still a bit peeved, but had seemed to calm down after her little walk. She leaned over to the receptionist and asked if Kami was ready for them. After a nod and a push of a button, the doors swung open again to reveal a black abyss. An abyss all three goddess were all too familiar with. They walked on in.  
  
The doors shut and the lights came on. The mighty chair behind the desk once more had its back turned on the invitees.  
  
"What took you so long Urd? A few hours ago you were right on time."  
  
Urd stood up straight, still slightly short of breath. "We, um...took a detour sir."  
  
Kami sighed. "Why are you lying to me again?" He spoke with a touch of aggravation and impatience.  
  
Urd gulped. "Well, sir..."  
  
"Oh don't bother me with it right now." Kami swung his chair around and faced them. "I know you just arrived, but Skuld, I wish you to be at Yggdrasil. When you get there you will be instructed what to do." He turned to the others. "Urd, Belldandy...I need you two to stay here with me."  
  
Skuld slumped. "I just got here."  
  
Urd stepped forward. "With all due respect sir, ever since we got here you have told us not one blessed thing. I think some explaining is in order."  
  
Kami sat for a second in an almost tranquil state. He looked up at Urd. "Urd, do I have to repeat myself or is a license removal required for you to remember?"  
  
"Um, no sir..." She looked at the floor sheepishly.  
  
Skuld raised a hand to break the tension. "Um...sir, am I supposed to go now?"  
  
Kami's tone got softer. "Yes Skuld, you should go now."  
  
"Alright." She sighed and curtsied slightly before turning and leaving, muttering under her breath as she did.  
  
As soon as he heard the doors shut again Kami turned to the remaining goddesses. "Now, Urd I believe you wanted answers for why I brought you all here and for why any of this is taking place at all, correct?"  
  
"Yes, sir"  
  
"And Belldandy, I think you are wondering about what you should be doing now that you have aquired these...new emotions?"  
  
Belldandy nodded.  
  
"Right then, follow me."  
  
Urd and Belldandy glanced at each other not really knowing what to think. Belldandy shrugged and started after Kami who had gotten up from his seat and had started walking towards the rear of the chamber. Urd looked after her. Something wasn't right about her sister. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was different about her from when they were back at their house. She shook it off and followed the other two to where ever they were going.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi and Megumi sat on the edge of the bed that he had woken up in, staring out the window. Still, they were trying to comprehend what had happened to them. It was such a burden. They knew everything now, but they understood none of it. It didn't help that they were still thinking like humans, only with infinite knowledge.  
  
They had talked about what was going to happen to them for an hour or it seemed. They had been assuming most of what they had come up with, of course. All the things Kami had told them about Belldandy and this "evil force" still didn't quite make sense. For some reason, those areas of knowledge protaining to the whole Belldandy being the savior of the world were the only things they didn't know, that and the future.  
Keiichi looked out at heaven. The buildings, the roads, and the people flying around going here and there, it seemed too much like earth. Well, except the flying thing maybe. He turned to Megumi.  
  
"So what do you think we should do right now?"  
  
"You should come with me."  
  
The two on the bed spun around, startled, to the door. There they could see Michel standing, leaning on the frame, with his arms crossed.  
  
"Who are you?" Megumi looked at him with questioning eyes.  
  
"Ah. I'm sorry, I have been rude. I am Michel, commander of the first division of angels and advisor to Kami-sama." He bowed deeply.  
  
Keiichi seemed to ease a bit from being startled and stood. "Hello, I am Keiichi and this is my sister Megumi." He bowed as well.  
  
Michel crossed his arms again and walked over to the bed. "I know who you are. I have read the reports on you two for the past 17 years. I know everything about you."  
  
Megumi blinked and unbelieving, stood up. "Excuse me, but we have never met in our lives. How can you say you know everything about me?"  
  
Michel shook his head. "You know all too don't you?"  
  
Megumi thought for a second. "I guess you're right. Well then, if you know me so well, what's my favorite color?"  
  
"Red."  
  
Megumi was taken a back by how quickly he answered. She raised an eyebrow. "You could have guessed that. What class do I have at 2:30 in the afternoon on Thursdays?"  
  
"Mathematical engineering. Now please, miss, I really don't have time to prove myself. I have come to take you to see someone."  
  
"And who would that be?" Keiichi stepped closer to Michel.  
  
"You will see when we get there." Michel turned and began to leave.  
  
"Hey, wait a second. When am I going to get to see Belldandy again? I want to know if she's alright or not."  
  
Michel stopped but did not turn around. "She is fine, I assure you."  
  
"And why should we believe you?" Megumi glared at him.  
  
Michel spoke with a low and ominous voice. "Because I haven't killed you yet, that's why."  
  
Keiichi and Megumi gasped slightly. Michel turned his head to them and smiled. "Just kidding. Now come on." He continued walking and went out of sight past the door.  
  
Megumi sweat dropped and looked at Keiichi questionably. "I think he's weird."  
  
Keiichi rolled his eyes. "What isn't weird up here? Remember that Urd and Skuld came from here."  
  
She nodded and started after Michel. Keiichi sighed and shook his head, following his sister.  
  
* * *  
  
Skuld walked down the hall that led to the main chamber of Yggdrasil. She kept her head down, looking at the floor. Why was she still being treated like a kid? Everyone else knew what was going on but her. She sighed as she stepped out onto a platform overlooking the core of the giant computer.  
  
She leaned up against a rail and looked out over the deep chamber. The golden yellow walls stretched for what seemed forever, up and down. It almost seemed bottomless. Goddesses were crawling all over the place doing their respective duties to keep the computer running. Platforms protruded out from the walls everywhere, each one with its own little clump of goddesses. In the center of the huge chamber, three huge coils, the trunks of the world tree, snaked their way from the bottom of Yggdrasil to far above.  
  
Skuld could remember back when she had always wanted to be transferred here from her debugging office. Her dream, until leaving for earth, had always been to become an administrator like her eldest sister, even though she would never admit to it. Just the thought of being in control of the computer that ran earth was enough to make her giddish. If she hadn't been assigned to earth, it would have been very plausible that she would have been at least a programmer by now, if not a junior admin.  
  
As Skuld stood and daydreamed, she didn't notice the person who had walked up next to her.   
  
"Ah...its such a nice view from here isn't it?"  
  
Skuld jumped a bit and looked to her side. Leaning on the rail with her was a tall goddess, dressed in somewhat risqué attire with her long black hair flowing down her back. Skuld caught her breath. "Hello Peorth-sama."  
  
Peorth turned and smiled down at the smaller goddess. "Hey kid. Long time no see." She nudged Skuld on the shoulder. Skuld smiled back. "So, I take it you've been filled in already."  
  
Skuld shook her head. "Nope, not a word."  
  
Peorth was taken a back. "Really? Michel told me you would have been briefed before you got here."  
  
"He did? Maybe he was supposed to tell us when he came to our house."  
  
"Well, why didn't he?"  
  
Skuld sighed. "Urd dragged us out of there before he could say much of anything."  
  
Peorth nodded and looked back out at Yggdrasil. "Yup, that sounds like good old Urd. Well...I suppose 'I'll' have to tell you what's going on then. Come on, let's take a walk." She gestured for Skuld to follow her.  
  
Skuld rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "More walking?"  
  
Peorth stopped in mid stride and looked back. "You have a problem with taking a stroll every now and then?"  
  
"No, it's not that. Its just I've been walking everywhere today and I can't fly very well yet. Cant we sit or something?"  
  
"Well, I guess there's no harm in that. But, we'll have to find a nice quiet spot. This is all very hush hush you know."  
  
"No, I wouldn't."  
  
Peorth rolled her eyes. "Come on, I think your sister's office is free right now." She started to walk away.  
  
Skuld began after her. "Urd's office? I didn't know she had one of her own."  
  
"Well, there's one thing you know now that you didn't."  
  
Skuld groaned. "Yeah yeah."  
  
Peorth smiled to herself as they continued.  
  
* * *  
  
When they had reached the rear of his office, Kami opened a door and gestured to Urd and Belldandy to enter. They hesitated, looking unsure. He looked at them questionably. "What's the matter girls? Do you not trust me all of the sudden?"  
  
Urd shook her head. "No it's not that sir."  
  
"Well then what is it?"  
  
Belldandy muttered something under her breath. Kami seemed to hear it and sighed. "No, I am not going to recall you and I'm not that old." She looked up a bit shocked and then back down to the floor again ashamed. Kami pulled the door open a bit further. "Look, I know you two have many questions, and I assure you that they will all be answered very soon."  
  
Urd stepped through the door and began walking down the hallway there in. "Well, no point in waiting then is there? If all our questions are going to be answered, might as well hurry the process up."  
  
Belldandy glanced up at Kami of a second, then turned and started walking after Urd. Kami stood a moment mulling over something and then followed the two goddesses.  
  
Urd was annoyed again. Not only had she had to put up with seeing that dog of Michel again, but Kami was being and pain in the butt. She put her hands behind her head as she walked. This was not turning out to be the happy day she thought she was going to have when she got the news of her promotion.   
  
She glanced around the hallway. She didn't remember this place ever being there. The walls were very plain and had normal "earth" office doors every so often. As she walked by, she could hear a couple of goddesses talking though a slightly open door.  
  
"Just because you think he's in love with your sister doesn't mean you get to keep him."  
  
"Oh, shut up. You think that since you're the goddess of science you can take him for your research?"  
  
"I will make him mine!"  
  
Urd sighed and shook her head, she didn't quite want to know what 'that' was all about. Anyway, what about Belldandy? That something that had been bothering Urd earlier came back to her. She thought about it a minute. What was it that had made her think she looked different? Then it stuck her. Urd's eyes grew in size. Belldandy's mark, it wasn't solid anymore. She glanced back at her sister and caught a glimpse of her forehead. She was right. The mark was no longer a solid blue diamond, but two diamonds, above and below a large dot in the middle.  
  
Urd gulped. This meant Belldandy's seal was broken and that if she lost her cool again, they were all in for it. But, how did the seal break? Belldandy hadn't used her powers since Urd had brought her here, had she? Urd thought for a second. The day's events running through her mind again. They had gotten to the house, Belldandy had woken up and the seal was intact, Michel had come, they had gone to Kami's office...wait.  
  
It hit Urd like a brick. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Why hadn't she stopped Belldandy from flying next to her? 'Damn it!' Urd kicked herself mentally. She knew that Belldandy couldn't use her powers, but she had failed to stop her when she did. She growled to herself. Had she put them all at danger now?  
  
She felt something at her side and glanced down. Belldandy was walking beside her now with her hands clasped in front of her and her head down. Urd looked back up facing the expanse of the corridor. From her face, it didn't look like Belldandy even knew that she was in contact with all her power now. Urd breathed a small sigh of relief. If Belldandy didn't know that the seal was broken then all she had to do was to keep her calm until she could get Skuld's retaining bracelet on her. Urd kept her voice low as to not let Kami, who was lagging behind slightly, overhear her.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
Belldandy looked up at Urd. "Oh...nothing."  
  
"Oh come on. I know you. You've never acted so pathetic in your life."  
  
"Pathetic? Oh thanks Urd you're such a help." She huffed and turned her head away.  
  
'Ooops. Wrong choice of words.' "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm just concerned about you."  
  
"And when have you ever been concerned about me before?"  
  
Urd rolled her eyes. This mood that Belldandy was in was starting to get under her skin. Might as well bear with it until she had some answers. "Don't you remember how I tried to get your memory back last year?"  
  
Belldandy thought back to the year before. The whole Celestine incident raced through her mind. Urd 'had' been there for her, almost as much as Keiichi had. She groaned. "Yeah...I guess so."  
  
"Well there you go. Now, what's bothering you?"  
  
Belldandy huffed and crossed her arms. "I want to see Keiichi. And Kami here," She flipped her head back a bit in Kami's direction. "... won't tell us where they are, let alone tell us why we're here in the first place."   
  
Urd blinked. "Well, I can tell you that you're not alone in felling that way. But if he wont tell us we'll just have to wait, wont we?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I guess you're right."  
  
Urd felt a little better that her sister wasn't 'that' mad, but still with the way things had been the past few days she could spark at any minute.   
  
"You sure that's all that's bothering you?"  
  
Belldandy sighed and looked the floor. "Well, now that you mention it. I do feel a bit odd. This headache of mine is getting worse, like something's hammering to get out."  
  
Urd blinked. 'Uh oh.'  
  
"But besides that, I feel alright. Except..."  
  
Urd glanced over at her again. Belldandy was raising her arm to touch her ear again. 'Oh crap!' Even though the earring was gone and Belldandy knew it, if she touched the spot where the ring had been attched, while the seal was broken, she would instantly know that it 'was' broken. Urd shot out her arm and grabbed Belldandy's hand.  
  
Belldandy looked at Urd confusingly. "Urd, what are you doing?"  
  
Urd laughed nervously. "Well, I just thought that Id hold your hand, you being lonely without Keiichi and all."  
  
Belldandy sweat dropped. "Uhh, thanks...I think."  
  
They continued walking down the hall in silence. Urd breathed a sigh of relief. 'That was 'too' close.' She could feel the power radiating through her sisters hand into her own. It was almost like putting a hand on the end of a flowing hose. Like the pressure inside Belldandy was building. But only figuratively of course.  
  
'Man, Belldandy has grown much stronger since last year. And even more so since the Lord of Terror. Its going to be a bad day if she looses it like she did earlier.'  
  
* * *  
  
Skuld leaned back her chair, her feet finally feeling relief. She propped her feet up on the front of Urd's desk and crossed her arms. Peorth shut the door to the office and walked to the larger chair on the opposite side from Skuld. She leaned her arm against the back and stood for a moment thinking exactly what to say. Skuld couldn't have cared less at the moment whether Peorth told her anything or not, she was happier just not walking anywhere.  
  
Peorth glanced down at the young debugger. She had grown a lot since they had last met all those years ago. Peorth shook her head and placed a hand to it. Her headache was back again. All the stress from the past few days had worn her out. She hadn't even slept for a week she was sure of it. She sighed, no matter. Right now she had to get Skuld up to date. She reached into the desk and pulled out a small black bag, tied with a black ribbon. Setting it on the desk, she undid the ribbon. Skuld looked on with curiosity.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"Something of your sister's that you might find interesting." Peorth reached in and pulled out something and moved to give it to Skuld. She reached out her hand in anticipation as Peorth dropped a few things into it. Skuld slumped back in her chair.  
  
"What are these?"  
  
"Jelly beans. They're good. Try some." Peorth popped the rest in her hand into her mouth.  
  
"So, Skuld," Peoth spoke while chewing, "How long have you been a debugger?"  
  
Skuld raised an eyebrow as she tossed a few in her mouth. "How long? Well...I guess it was... 8 years before I went to earth."  
  
"Hmm...Did you even think of yourself as admin material?"  
  
Now Skuld was really intrigued. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"  
  
Peorth beveled the chair out from the desk and plopped down in it, propping her feet up on the desk as well. "Well Skuld, we have a slight problem."  
  
Skuld raised an eyebrow. "What kind of problem?"  
  
"Well...," Peorth picked up a pencil off the desk and started playing with it. "You remember the virus Celestine planted in the Yggdrasil system?"  
  
Skuld started to become a bit worried. "Yeah."  
  
"And Im sure you remember all the crap we had to go through to get rid of it right?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"We have found another virus."  
  
Skuld stood up straight, taking her feet from the desk and slamming them on the floor. "WHAT?"  
  
"Shhh!," Peorth waved her arms. "Geeze, this is top-secret kid. Keep your voice down."  
  
She slowly leaned back into her chair, keeping a very concerned look on her face. "What do you mean another virus?"  
  
Peorth dropped the pencil and started twiddling her thumbs. "Well, I guess it's not really a virus. More like an evolved bug. We found it last month in the core. If our premilinary reports are right, it was injected into the system, we think, about ten thousand years ago."  
  
"And you just found it?"  
  
"Umm....yup." Peorth looked embarrased.  
  
"How could you have missed it for so long?"  
  
"Well, it sort of...its kinda...we don't know."  
  
Skuld sweat dropped. "Wow...some bug."  
  
"Some bug alright. Since we found it and figure its been there so long, we don't want word of it to get out. Major embarrasment if you know what I mean. That and what the thing actually is. Only about twenty people know it exists. Kami, me, you, a couple high council members, Michel, and I think your sisters are going to be filled in on it later. This is a very high priority bug."  
  
"But how in the name of all things did it get there?"  
  
"Well...that's not important right now. Anyway, Kami says he is pretty sure how it got there, but he said he's not going to divulge any information till we get this thing figured out. What is important is how do we get rid of it."  
  
Skuld slumped a bit in disappointment. She hated not knowing stuff. "So, why do you need me?"  
  
"We need you to help us analyze the bug and tell us what you think. You are the longest serving debugger still on staff, we figure you must know something."  
  
"I am the best aren't I?" Skuld smiled proudly. Peorth rolled her eyes. "So what are the particulars on the bug?"  
  
"Ok...For one thing, this isn't your ordinary bunny bug. This thing is smart. It is almost alive, for the lack of a better word."  
  
"Oh please, a smart bug?"  
  
"For it being able to hid from us for thousands of years? Yes, I'd say its pretty darn smart. We wouldn't have found it at all had it not started changing."  
  
"Changing?"  
  
"It's changing from its original function. From the look of it, I would say its counting down to something. But I can't be sure. I mean its not decaying or growing, its just changing ever so slightly every hour on the hour."  
  
"What was its original function?"  
  
Peorth suddenly became fidgety. She swung her feet form the desk and slid the chair as far forward to Skuld as she could. "Look, you can not repeat this outside of this room."  
  
Skuld leaned forward. "Sure thing."  
  
Peorth glanced over Skuld at the door making sure no one was coming and then looked back at Skuld. "We think...We're pretty certain that this bug is the core of the doublet system."  
  
Skuld's eyes just about doubled in size and her jaw dropped. "The...the doublet...you mean you found it?"  
  
"Yes, we think."  
  
"You mean we can finally get rid of the thing?" She started to get excited.  
  
Peorth shook her head. "Its not that easy kid. Its woven itself into the fabric of Yggdrasil and into the tree of the earth, we kill it now, we run the risk of completely killing the tree and crashing the system. So for right now, we have no way of getting rid of it."  
  
Skuld's face fell like a stone. "Ah man."  
  
"Yes, I know. Its very frustrating." Peorth leaned back in her chair. "We have our best people working on it. That's why we want you to take a look at it."  
  
"Well, for crying out loud lets not sit in here. I've got a bug to fix." Skuld stood up, ready to go.  
  
Peorth stood as well. "Alright, follow me and I'll show it to you."  
  
Skuld jumped up and down giggling like a schoolgirl. "I'm gonna kill the doublet! I'm gonna kill the doublet!"  
  
Peorth glared at her for a second. "I'll kill 'you' if you mutter one word of any of this to anyone. Got it?"  
  
Skuld stopped and sighed. "Yes m'am."  
  
"That's a good girl. Come on."  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi and Megumi were in awe. After walking through the biggest building they had ever seen in their lives, they had stepped out onto a huge terrace over looking most of heaven. Kami's palace stood on the top of a great hill that looked out over the rest of the huge city below. In the very center of the metropolis stood a megalithic building, with towers and spires that stretched almost to the sky.  
  
"Very nice is it not?" Michel stood beside the two former humans looking out at the view.  
  
Keiichi could only nod. Megumi was a bit more talkative. "What's that big thing there in the middle?" She pointed at the spired building.  
  
Michel smiled proudly. "That my dear, is Yggdrasil. The computer that runs the world and controls the Ultimate Force."  
  
Megumi thought for a second try to remember what the Ultimate Force was. Instantly it popped in her head as clear as day. She smiled to herself. 'Being all knowing has its high points.'  
  
Keiichi turned to Michel. "So that there is where Urd and Skuld work?"  
  
"That is correct."  
  
"Wow." Keiichi stood for a moment still basking in the scenory. He turned back to Michel. "So what is it exactly that you got us for?"  
  
"Because you are going to Yggdrasil too."  
  
Megumi looked at him funny. "We are?"  
  
"Oh yes." Michel closed his eyes and muttered something. Suddenly they were standing inside what looked to be a huge room. Keiichi blinked for a second. This teleporting everywhere was starting to get annoying, especially when he want told about it first. Despite this, he looked around. The room they were in seemed to be a huge dome as big as a small city. Ornate decorations lined the walls and ran up along the curved ceiling to a circular opening in the very top. Through this hole ran three huge coils that rose from the center of the ground.  
  
Keiichi squinted a bit. "Are those...?"  
  
Michel started walking towards the middle of the dome. "'That'...is the tree of the earth Keiichi-san. This room is where it manifests itself into heaven. And right above this room," He pointed to the roof. "Is where the tree fuses with Yggdrasil."  
  
Megumi's eyes were wide. "Wow."  
  
"It 'is' very impressive isn't it?"  
  
Keiichi nodded. "So why are we here?"  
  
Michel gestured for them to get a move on and follow him. "We are here because you two have a specific job to do. The reason we made you into what you are is for the sole purpose of completing this task."  
  
Keiichi ran a bit to catch up. "What do you mean, 'we' have to do it? Couldn't anyone of you have done it? I mean, isn't this your computer system?"  
  
Michel nodded and looked at Keiichi. "So it is. But for one, this has nothing to do with the system. And two, none of us are close enough to Urd and Belldandy to get the job done."  
  
Megumi looked confused. "Belldandy and Urd?"  
  
Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Close enough?"  
  
"Personally, I mean...Look, you heard what Kami said about Belldandy right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The same is true about Urd. We're going to need both of them to beat back Sashera."  
  
"So?"  
  
Michel sighed and shook his head. "So the point is that you and Megumi are going to have to convince them to use the power they have. If anyone of us tried to, they would probably shrug us off as being exentric, at least Urd would."  
  
"Oh...I get it, I think. But why does Urd need convincing?"  
  
Michel looked sideways at Keiichi with eyes that spoke of anger. Keiichi squirmed a bit. "Uh...something wrong?"  
  
"Keiichi-san, you need to understand something. Urd and most of heaven, especially me, are not on good terms at all."  
  
"Ok...but why does that have anything to do with us convincing her to kill something? I'm sure she would be more than happy to oblige if it meant saving the world or something like that."  
  
Michel looked forward again. "I'm sure she would too, if it weren't for what I did to her."  
  
Megumi who had been listening a few steps behind the others now jumped forward to Michel's other side. "Why? What did you do?"  
  
Michel looked from one to the other and back again before stopping in his tracks. He took a breath and sighed. "I guess it would be in the best interest of the whole if you knew."  
  
Keiichi and Megumi stopped and turned to him. He looked up at them with almost dead eyes. "She hates me because I killed her father."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Skuld typed furiously at the keyboard in front of her. Peorth leaned on the back of her chair watching the screen.   
  
"Hey Peorth-sama."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Could I have some ice cream? Pleeeeeese?"  
  
Peorth sweat dropped. "Uh...sure. Hey Melody." She waved at one of the other goddesses under her command. "Come here a second."  
  
The small blonde admin goddess put down the diagnostic panel she was working on and trotted over to the two others. "Yes m'am?"  
  
"Could you go get some ice cream for Skuld here?"  
  
Melody looked at Peorth funny. "M'am?"  
  
Peorth mouthed 'Just do it.'  
  
"Alright."  
  
Melody walked off and Peorth leaned back on Skuld's chair. "So, what have you found out so far?"  
  
Skuld leaned back and took off her glasses. "Well, I can tell you one thing. You were right when you said this was not ordinary bug."  
  
Peorth grinned triumphantly. "Of course."  
  
Skuld rolled her eyes. "Anyway...here take a look at this." She pushed a key and a hologram popped up to her right. She pulled a pointer out of nowhere and pulled it to full length. "Look here."  
  
She pointed to the hologram. It looked like, to Peorth anyway, just to be a normal virus. Of course she knew what it was, but it still 'looked' like a normal virus. The round, dark blue sphere pulsated with energy at a regular rate. "You see this pulsing?"  
  
Peorth nodded.  
  
"That's not the program replicating like a virus should. In reality, it looks like it's changing its code regularly."  
  
"Im the one who told you that. And how exactly is it changing?"  
  
"Well," She put her glasses back on and tapped a few more keys. The hologram changed to a string of indecipherable code. "You see how its changing right here?" Skuld pointed to a spot in the code where the characters changing linearly along the string.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Well, look. The code on this side," she pointed to the side yet unchanged, "is all jumbled. No order at all, while this side," she pointed to the changed script, "is all organized in a...sorta regular pattern."  
  
"So? That sounds more like a defrag to me."  
  
Skuld looked up at Peorth. "Where were you during training? Viruses don't defrag. Bugs don't defrag. This thing is not defragging."  
  
"What is it doing?"  
  
"Its self destructing."  
  
Peorth's eyes went wide. Her mouth went dry. "Holy shit! If that thing destructs now--"  
  
"Then the doublet system fails. And that's a good thing...isnt it?"  
  
Peorth shook her head very nervously. "No Skuld, that is the worst thing that could happen."  
  
Skuld started to become uneasy. "And why is that?"  
  
"Because that bug is the only thing keeping the demons from killing any of us."  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi looked at Michel with confusion. "What are you talking about? Urd's father is Kami, right?"  
  
Michel sighed. "Yes, but you are only half right. You see, while Kami-sama 'is' her father because he created her, he did not raise her."  
  
Megumi looked at him. "So you mean she had step dad...sorta."  
  
Michel started to walk towards the center of the dome. "Precisely...Kami-sama is extremely busy and has no time for parenting. That is while he gave the job to someone else. That is also why Belldandy had Celestine, and why Skuld stays with her sisters."  
  
Keiichi nodded. "Oh, I see. That makes sense. So, in that case...Why did you kill him?"  
  
Michel sighed and quickened his pace a bit. "Keiichi, why don't you look into your memory?"  
  
Keiichi blinked. Why didn't he think of that in the first place? He tried to remember anything to do with Urd's 'adoptive' father. In his mind's eye he could see Urd's birth, a man taking her as his own, Urd growing up, Urd as an Adult. Wait. He replayed that all again; the same result. The time between Urd being about 7 up until a few years ago was simply not there. Keiichi turned to Michel.  
  
"Its not there."  
  
Michel looked back at him. "What do you mean its not there? You have all of Yggrdasil's memory, you must have it somewhere."  
  
Megumi spoke up. "Keiichi's right. There is no memory of Urd from the time she was 7 till when she came to earth."  
  
Michel curled his lip. "That devil deleted it."  
  
Keiichi was starting to get a tad frustrated. "Alright, what happened that would make Urd delete it from the big computer?"  
  
Michel looked straight forward and spoke with impatience. "Urd's father was a military man. Yes, before you ask, heaven has an army. He was a fine officer, one of the best, and he would have stayed that way if he hadn't done what he did."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"I, personally, caught him having an affair."  
  
Megumi looked perplexed. "But, he wasn't married was he?"  
  
"No, he wasn't married."  
  
"So, what does it matter?"  
  
"It was with a demon."  
  
Keiichi blinked. "He was sleeping around with a demon?"  
  
Michel nodded. "That's what I said. So anyway, being a fellow soldier and a man, I had a pity on him and told him just to stop seeing the beast and I would forget I ever saw them together."  
  
"And, I'm guessing he didn't do that did he?"  
  
"No, he did not. I caught them together again right after Urd's licensing ceremony. Actually Urd found them first. She threw a fit, calling him a traitor and a coward for being with a demon. But when I found out about it, Urd turned around and protected him. She didn't want to lose the most important person in her life because of, what she called, 'Just a whimsical romance.' I felt sorry for her, but in the end I had my job to do.  
  
"Urd's father was court-martialed for simply disobeying a commanding officer and was punished by 5 years on the moon. I felt that the fact that the affair that he comitted was with a demon and not just another goddess didn't need to be brought up. Urd was still upset over the fact that her father was going to be imprisoned but she was comforted by my promise not to tell about the demon. I thought its was fair and just and over with. But during the hearing before the high council, one of the archangels started firing questions at me left and right. Somewhere in there I blurted out about the affair being with a demon.  
  
"Urd's father was not only found guilty of disobeying a commanding officer, but also of treason and espionage. He was sentenced to death. Three angels, each carrying a sword of lightning came swiftly in and delivered the punishment. Urd has since blamed me for what happened to him and for his death. I guess she erased the episode from Yggdrasil to try and protect his honor. No one speaks of it anymore."  
  
Megumi looked at the floor. "That's so sad."  
  
Michel nodded. "Yes it is. He was in line to be prompted to be commander in chief of the entire angelic army. Had he stopped when I told him to, he would have been in hundred years or so. Anyway, that's why she hates me, and that's why she hated the army. This is why you, Keiichi, must convince her to help us. She wants nothing to do with the army or the high council. She has loyalty only to Kami and her sisters and you. Otherwise she would kill them all, or at least try to."  
  
Keiichi began to see why Urd never liked anyone in heaven. He had always assumed it was just the simple fact her license kept getting suspended. But it seemed her resentment ran a little deeper than just that. He looked up and saw that they were now almost to the center of the giant dome.  
  
The center being a huge rim that encircled the hole that the tree of the earth rose through to enter the dome. He could he that in that rim were a series of doors that sat flush with the walls around them. Beside each door was a small panel with buttons on it.  
  
Keiichi looked over at Michel. "I guess that's where we're going right?" He pointed at the doors.  
  
Michel nodded as they reached one such door. He pressed a few keys and the door slid open reveling an eerie black interior. He did the same to the door adjacent to the first.  
  
"This way Keiichi." Michel gestured for him to enter the door.  
  
Keiichi peered inside. It wasn't completely black like he had thought. Thin dim blue lines ran along the floor and walls and stretched far beyond what should have been the end of the room.  
  
"Um...Michel-san, what exactly is this?"  
  
"This is a room that projects the information in Yggdrasil as a hologram for...different purposes. You are going to use it to convince the others that they should help us."  
  
"Ahh...So I see. Well then, I guess there's no point in arguing about that." Keiichi stepped through and into the room.  
  
Michel motioned for Megumi to do the same. She hesitated. "What if we cant? I mean, what if they don't want to help?"  
  
Michel looked her straight in the eye. "You 'have' to convince them. Alright?"  
  
Megumi could feel his eyes burning into her own. "Umm....sure."  
  
"Good. I will be in contact with you through your markings."  
  
Megumi entered the room as Michel pushed buttons on both doors. They slid shut, plunging the two siblings into total darkness.  
  
* * *  
  
Belldandy walked silently behind Kami and Urd. In all her years of goddess hood she had never once known of either of these hallways. They had long since exited the last corridor into this one. It was like a cave almost. The stone walls were covered in runes and drawings, many of which even she could not read. It was not well lit either, the runes she could read were secluded in shadows. It would have been pitch black in there had Kami not used his power to light the way. She looked down at the ground, where her eyes had been most of the day.  
  
The damp floor looked almost cave like too. But that really didn't matter to her. She was still upset about not having seen Keiichi since that night, or morning, or something. Stupid heaven, it was always day up here. She blinked catching herself again. Why was she so moody? She couldn't stand it anymore and was worried about her earring being gone.  
  
She raised a hand to the spot where the gold once was. She was abou to rub it when she thought better of it. Still being sore from the lightning it would probably just hurt worse. She wished she could use her power to make it feel better, but had thought better of that as well. Breaking that seal would be a very bad thing in her book right now. Sighing, she let her mind wander to Keiichi again.   
  
She hadn't seen him since dinner and was beginning to feel a little lonely. Admittedly, she did have Urd there with her, but Kami's presence had always made her unconcerned about anything else. Belldandy looked back up and ran into Urd.  
Apparently, the other two had stopped and she had failed to notice.   
  
"Gomen-nasai."  
  
Urd looked down at her sister. "Hey, are you 'sure' you're alright?"  
  
Belldandy nodded and looked to Kami, who was looking at the wall trying to find something. "Hmm...I'm sure it was written around here. Ah yes, here it is. Urd, Belldandy, come and look." He pointed to a section of writings.  
Urd peered at them through semi-darkness, trying to read them.  
  
"Do you two know what these are?"  
  
Urd stood back. "No sir. What are they?"  
  
Kami ran his hand over the runes. "These writings are from thousands of years ago. The gods that came before you, wrote of the coming day of Armageddon on these walls."  
  
Belldandy looked up, worried. "Armageddon?"  
  
"Yes. The end of the world, the destruction of heaven, and the triumph of the demon horde."  
  
Belldandy held a hand to her mouth. "You mean that..."  
  
Kami turned to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Not if we can help it my dear." She took a deep breath and nodded. He turned back the wall. "I need you two to do something for me."  
  
Urd stepped closer. "What is it sir?"  
  
"I want you two to read this line right here."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Please Urd, don't ask questions. I'll explain as soon as you do it. Belldandy, will you read along?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
The two sisters moved closer to the wall as Kami stepped to one side, keeping his finger in the line in question. They started to read in unison.  
  
"Light gives light, darkness takes light  
as sun is day, the moon is night.  
Let us as one return to the cycle of the light  
Let us gain the wisdom and the might."  
  
Urd stood up. "What's that all about?"  
  
Kami glanced at the wall again. "Oops, finger slipped. Here's the right one." He moved his finger one line down. Urd sighed loudly and shook her head. They began to read again.   
  
"Isunai kabanus haitari opiun,  
dos heran wakunai ransu.  
Chifam des tey hoguri  
Aski domi chi deux flomingarai."  
  
Suddenly the passage way filled with intensifying light. Urd stood up startled and Belldandy let out a short scream. The light engulfed and blinded them. Nothing but white could be seen. Then as soon as it appeared, the light vanished. Kami lowered his arm from his face. The two goddesses who had just been standing at his side were now gone. He smiled.  
  
"And so it begins."  
  
He turned and began to walk back out of the now empty passageway.  
  
END PART 4  
--------------------  
  
What are Keiichi and Megumi up to? What can be done about the doublet system? Where have Belldandy and Urd gone? How did that bug get there anyway? Will Skuld get her ice cream and what flavor will it be? Stay seated while the next part leaks out of my head and onto paper.  
  
Comments, Criticism, Rampant Idiocy? Send to tsunami.no.ai@insightbb.com  
  
This and more to be found at http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=directory-authorprofile&UserId=84815   
  
Also archived at http://tsunami.craton.net  
  
Ja ne till next time. 1-22-02 


	5. Believe

Of Angles and Demons  
  
By: Ben Craton  
  
Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Started Feb. ??, 2002  
  
Finished: March 12, 2002  
  
Revised: March 22, 2002  
  
Hard drive crash: April 5, 2002  
  
Finally retyped and revised: May 5, 2002  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and Koshuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001, 2002 by Ben Craton  
  
---------  
  
Author's note:  
  
I have received many emails in the past couple of months after releasing part 4 of OAAD stressing my use of the original plot line of the manga, or lack thereof. Okay, Ill admit now that I haven't read all the manga, just all that's been released so far, which is up to the graphic novel "Childhood's End." And though I had read many websites trying to learn more, I haven't learned everything. So I'm going to make a statement now.  
  
People are going to be out of character, especially Belldandy, because one, the story hinges on that point, and two, the way the plot line is laid out everyone would just lay down and die if they went along like people usually think. I believe that Belldandy would react the way I have portrayed her, given the same situation. Will she later on? I don't really know, but if she doesn't, oh well. People change in a crisis, Belldandy included.  
  
Second point is that this fic is more AU than anything. Urd's father and mother for instance are not depicted in this fic like they were in the manga. Nor was any of the Norns' birth like it was in manga. Of course I don't remember reading about their birth so I'm taking a license with it. Anyway, the point is, yes some of this doesn't match up with cannon, but who cares? It's for entertainment and not a documentary. So enjoy.  
  
Two more points. One, if I were you Id study a little of Norse mythology before reading future installments. Second, since I started writing this whole thing I've taken a college literary analysis course and creative writing, so my style has and may very well change, hopefully for the better. Anyway, with all that out of the way, on with the fic.  
  
Of Angels and Demons: Part 5  
  
Believe  
  
----------  
  
Suddenly the passage way was filled with intense light. Urd stood up, startled. Belldandy let out a short scream. The light engulfed and blinded both of them and continued to gain strength until nothing but white could be seen. Then as soon as it appeared, the light vanished. Kami lowered his arm from his face where he had been shielding his eyes. The two goddesses, who had moments before been standing at his side, were now gone. He smiled.  
  
"And so it begins."  
  
He turned and began to walk back out of the ancient, and now empty, passageway.  
  
* * *  
  
Megumi looked around the room as Michel shut the door. As the only real light extinguished, she was left with only the very faint glow of blue lines that ran along the walls and the floor to remind her she was anywhere at all. The blackness and glorified expanse of the chamber was as though she had been placed into a terrible void. She took a few cautious steps forward. While the floor didn't appear to be real, it still felt solid to her feet. Guessing that there wasn't really anything to be seen besides the black nothingness and a few lines on the floor, she carefully sat down and sighed.  
  
Finally, she thought, she had a bit of time to just sit there and think about what had happened to her over the past several hours. She laid a hand to her head. The thought that she was now some sort of goddess, like Belldandy and her sisters, was still a fresh concept in her mind. She hadn't even known that they 'were' goddesses until she woke up there in heaven, and just a few short minutes after that she too was a goddess. Even more, while Kami had been discussing all that Belldandy stuff, her mind had been running like a directory. She 'knew' what he was talking about, but she didn't really understand any of it. It was all starting to sink in now though. The information was slowly becoming more and more understandable. But she still really didn't know what to think about anything anymore.  
  
Megumi rubbed her temples again. All this junk about Belldandy being so important and that story Michel told about Urd's father, it was all so…weird. Before she could start trying to comprehend anything more, she heard a voice in her head that was not her own. It sounded like Michel, though slightly augmented.  
  
'Megumi-san, are you able to hear me?'  
  
Megumi craned her neck and looked around. "Yes, I can hear you. But, where are you? Aren't you supposed to be outside?"  
  
'I am outside. I'm using telepathy. You don't need to speak, you only need to think to communicate with me.'  
  
Megumi sat for a second, and then made an attempt to use it. 'You mean like this?'  
  
'Yes, precisely. Now, soon Belldandy will be coming to this room. You are to show her the past and explain to her exactly what has brought about the situation we are in currently.'  
  
'And that would be…?'  
  
Megumi could sense Michel sighing mentally. 'Look, I've told you once before, I'll tell you again. You are connected directly to Yggdrasil, more so now than you were before you went into that room. All you have to do is to think for Yggdrasil to tell you what you need and it will be projected in that room. Got it now?'  
  
'Um…Sure.'  
  
Another groan. 'I hope you do, because if you don't,' he paused. 'Never mind.'  
  
'What?' Megumi asked. 'What happens if I cant tell her what she needs to hear to do…whatever?'  
  
Another pause. 'I suppose I 'could' tell you, but you must swear that you will not tell Belldandy, or even so much as hint at it. Understand?'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
'Ok, if you cannot get her convinced to use her power to help us, we will have to use the Possessive Interrupt Program on her. 'Which' would subdue Belldandy in her body, leaving her body and her power for Yggdrasil to control. However, the replacement is permanent. In short, we will kill Belldandy in order to use her power.'  
  
Megumi gasped. 'Are you insane!?'  
  
'No I'm not. The high council and Kami-sama have both concurred that if she refuses, then the only choice left is to take her over. The same goes for Urd. The existence of both heaven and of earth depends on the two of them cooperating with us. We pray we 'don't' have to use it, that's why we have you in there to help. So you 'have' to try as hard as you possibly can. We are depending on you. And remember, if you mention the Possessive Interrupt Program before a control program stops you, then it will activate instantaneously. Now, do you have any questions?'  
  
Megumi sighed, defeated. 'I guess not. Ill try my best.'  
  
'Good luck. I will be monitoring you and your brother from here. You will not be able to talk to me from now on, but I will make sure that Yggdrasil gives you the information you need to make a good case. Michel out.'  
  
Once more, Megumi was left alone in the darkness. She was slightly frightened for Belldandy. How could anyone sacrifice her just to get rid of some evil dumb thing? Her head began to hurt again. The things Michel had said stared to mull their way through her mind. What was she supposed to tell Belldandy anyway?  
  
She started to scan Yggdrasil for her answer when suddenly a bright flash lit up the room, sending a small shock wave through her body, For a second, her eyes couldn't see anything, but slowly her eyes readjusted to the sight of Belldandy sitting on the ground, a dazed and very confused look on her face.  
  
"Megumi?? Where am I…and why are you here?"  
  
Megumi sweat dropped. 'Whelp, here we go.'  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi stood idly in the darkened room, arms crossed, starting off into the darkness. If he hadn't have known better, he would have thought he was in a cave or some darkness of a hole. He quietly smiled to himself. With all the day's events so far, he had had very little time to actually think about what was going on. Save for those few minutes after he had awoken in bed, he had been rushed here and there all day.  
  
Keiichi stretched out his hand and looked at it. Or course he could only see a slight outline, still, he marveled at himself. He mused, once again, he was a god. He chuckled a bit. Not a very powerful god by any means, he couldn't even see in the dark. He let his arm fall back to his side. Sighing, he began tapping the "floor" with his foot. Michel had told him Urd would be along in a minute or two, but it had been at least ten.  
  
Suddenly there was a bright flash and he heard a small thump on the ground behind him. Turning, he found the slightly dazed goddess, Urd, lying on her back with her limbs out stretched and limp. She moaned a bit as her hand went to the back of her head, rubbing a small lump.  
  
"Oww. That hurt. Kami, don't hit me like.. what?"  
  
Urd glanced around, suddenly realizing she was no longer in the hallway with Belldandy. She also came to the astounding conclusion that she was on her back. Flipping herself, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Rubbing her head a bit as her eyes slowly adjusted to the near pitch-black room, she spotted Keiichi.  
  
"Keiichi, what are you doing here?"  
  
Keiichi looked down at her with a bit of astonishment. He had figured they were going to let her in through the door, not drop her in like this. "Uh… I'm supposed to guide you into the past."  
  
Urd appeared to be less than enthused. "Guide me into the past huh? Where are we?"  
  
"I'm not sure really."  
  
She looked down at the lines that ran along the floor. "Oh, don't tell me we're in the imaging chambers. Oh, I hate this place. It gives me the creeps."  
  
Keiichi looked around as if to find some sign that read "You are in the Imaging Chamber" or something. "I guess we are. Michel just sort of, shoved me in here."  
  
"Heh, wouldn't surprise me in the least." She stood up. "Well, I guess if Kami wants to show me the past, let's get with it. I want to get outa here."  
  
"Um…ok." Keiichi raised his hands to activate the room.  
  
Urd stopped him. "Wait a second... How come you're the one doing this? You're just a mortal. Shouldn't someone else be operating this thing?"  
  
Keiichi sweatdroped. "Well, you see…"  
  
Suddenly the room flashed to life. The blue lines disappeared and what was left was a very small point light cam into being between the two. Keiichi blinked at it. While small, it was fairly bright. He could now see Urd's face and apparently she could see him. The look on her face was wide eyed and near hysterical.  
  
"Wha… What's THAT?!" A look of confusion mixed with panic washed over her. Her finger pointed at his forehead.  
  
Keiichi's mouth twitched. "Heh heh, you see, I sorta…became a…god."  
  
Urd relaxed. "Oh……YOU WHAT???" she screamed.  
  
Keiichi was about to explain when he heard Michel's voice inside his head once more. 'Keiichi-san, I hate to disturb your lovely little conversation, but you really need to get started. Explain that to her later.'  
  
'Alright.' "Urd, I'll explain it to you here in a minute, ok? I'm supposed to get this thing going."  
  
Urd's look of shock softened a bit but still looked very, very cautious. "Uh…sure thing." She kept a wary eye on him.  
  
He raised his hands and uttered a prayer to get the room to start. Instantly, not only did the point of light begin to be animated, but the diamond on his forehead also began to glow a soft blue. He could feel words coming out of his mouth that were not necessarily his own.  
  
* * *  
  
Skuld sat at the computer terminal, slowly eating her ice cream as Peorth paced back and forth behind her. Rows of endless code streamed past on the screen in front of her blank, staring eyes.  
  
"How much longer are you just going to sit there and watch that?" Peorth stopped in mid pace and turned her head to the younger goddess.  
  
Skuld remained motionless, her hand mechanically moving the ice cream from the cup to her lips very so often.  
  
Peorth sighed and walked up to the large chair. Gripping the back, she gave it a bit of a jerk. "Hello!? Anyone home? I said, how much longer?"  
  
Skuld blinked, sat up straighter, and stretched. She looked up and Peorth, her eyes still half glazed over from the excessive screen staring. "Too long it looks like," she said yawningly.  
  
The elder goddess groaned. "Look Skuld, we need you opinion soon, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure thing." She turned back to the screen as the rows of code continued to roll onward.  
  
"Just hurry up," Peorth said as she turned away and began walking towards the direction of the onsen, intent on bathing while Skuld grew more catatonic. It had been over a week since she had relaxed any; she figured she might as well do so now before anything else spectacular happened.  
  
***  
  
Keiichi began to speak as Urd watched on in curious fascination at how her pseudo-brother-in-law was manipulating the image between them. The sphere that had once been a white ball grew and was now a perfect representation of the earth, complete with a moon.  
  
"This is the Earth."  
  
"I can see that."  
  
Keiichi looked over and Urd for a moment, then went back to trying to convey whatever Yggdrasil was passing through his lips.  
  
"This also happens to be what the Earth looked like 20,000 years ago. Back in that era, the heavens and the Earth were not as streamlined as they are today. This was before Yggdrasil was formed."  
  
Urd was a bit surprised. She couldn't really imagine what it would be like without the massive computer. The image morphed again and the two of them were standing in what looked to be a gray, mist covered plane. Nothing much was distinguishable, besides grass, except for two figures. One standing at one end of the plane was pale skinned and brown haired. He was dressed in full battle armor, a flowing white cape flapped in the breeze. The metal on his form reflected what little light there was and accented the strong white sword in a sheath at his side. The other figure looked nearly identical, only his cape and hair were black and a bit longer. His sword had a red sheath instead.  
  
"This man," Keiichi said as he walked up to the figure in white, "Is the one that I believe you have only heard about in legends. This man, is Odin."  
  
Urd's head felt a bit faint. Odin? She had only heard about him in bed time stories her father told her when she was a child. He was the first god to tame the earth after it was formed. He had paved the way for everything that had happened to make heaven, or Asgard, what it was now. She wasn't quite sure why history never really repeated his name as fact if indeed he 'had' done such a remarkable thing.  
  
"Yes Urd, Odin. The leader of the gods. He did exist. And that man," he pointed at the man near Urd. "Is one you have never heard about. His name has forever been erased from memory. He is Sashera."  
  
Once again, the image changed. The scene was what appeared to be a village burning. Children screamed and women ran. "Sashera was once a mighty warrior form the race of man. Twenty thousand years ago, civilization was much like it was during the Viking era. However, Odin was convinced that the gods who had devised such a planet in the first place should be the ones to control it. Sashera was told by Hel, goddess of Niflhem, of Odin's plot to seize the power in the world. So he set about creating an army to defend his land from being taken over. But, as things often work out, Sashera and his army were over come by Odin and his forces.  
  
"After that, Odin decided that the ones who had fought so valiantly to defend their land should be given high honors. The dead and even the living warriors in Sashera's army became part of the divine system. Sashera, while accepting Odin's offer, had never completely forgiven him for taking the Earth. But nonetheless, he helped as much as he could to create heaven with the Earth's best interests in mind.  
  
"Then Odin and the newly made high-council developed a new technology for Asgard. The system known today as Yggdrasil." The scene changed to that of the fledgling tree being planted on a hill. "While all of Asgard was overjoyed at the creation of such a magnificent device that would insure that things would be more streamlined than ever, what Odin had neglected to mention to anyone, for obvious reasons, was that when the system would first boot up, civilization would start all over again. The first Ragnorak.  
  
"Sashera watched as his people reverted back to primitive living as Yggdrasil warmed up. He and his men were, to say the least, infuriated with Odin. As a result, a war broke out in Asgard. Battle after battle waged on these holy grounds. Soon, the high council allowed the first program to be run. That program designated Sashera and his men to become the demon horde.  
  
"Instantly, with their honor and power gone, the men lost hope and began to be pushed back to Earth. The final battle took place at the base of Yggdrasil. Sashera and Odin fought for hours, neither yielding. But it came to pass that Odin finally struck the winning blow and Sashera fell, but as he did, he took from his belt a small dagger and plunged it into the fledgling tree. He skillfully had hit the sector designated as Odin's and the once mighty god fell dead.  
  
"For millennia, it was thought that since the actions of both sides were horrendous, neither would be kept in memory. And so, Odin became legend, and Sashera became a forbidden word, respective of human uprising.  
  
"In time though, Sashera had been plotting in secret, becoming the most powerful demon, he wields the power of the undead and all of the Earth's negative spirits. The dead, who lived wicked lives, willingly give their energy to him to fight against us. He is powerful enough alone to destroy all of Asgard, minus Yggdrasil."  
  
Urd stood, speechless. She had never heard such a story before. What a horrible thing to have happened so many years ago. "So okay. Hold on. You say he's got all this power right? So why doesn't he just attack us right now?"  
  
"There is a simple reason for this, but at the moment it is merely theory, and not necessary to divulge," Keiichi spoke.  
  
"Oh is it now? Well then, my next question is, why in the world do I have to know all of this?"  
  
"Simple. You and your sister must aid Asgard in defeating this demon."  
  
At this, Urd began laughing, almost hysterically, "Me?? Help this place? You have got to be kidding."  
  
Keiichi, for a moment, let his own words slip through the control Yggdrasil had on his lips: the same warning Michel had given some time ago. "No, Urd you don't understand. If you don't help us then Belldandy—" He was cut short as a protection program took control.  
  
Urd walked through the holographic image and stood inches from Keiichi's face. She glared with animosity in her eyes. "No, its you who doesn't understand. You know so much about Sashera and all; you must know something about my life. You know damn well I'm not going to help these murderers."  
  
"But…"  
  
"No! I might help for your sake Keiichi, for the people on earth. I might just help them. But I know where this is going and you will see me dead before you see me take orders from the council."  
  
Keiichi sighed and the hologram dropped from sight. The room flashed into solid white. "But they need you Urd. You don't understand how important you and Belldandy are. Especially Belldandy."  
  
Urd straightened up, turned, and took a few steps away. "Why Keiichi? From what you say Sashera sounds like the kinda guy I might like. You know, wanting the Earth to return to the way it was."  
  
"No, Urd. He isn't like that anymore. He thrives on his hatred of Asgard. And now that the Earth is completely under the control of Yggdrasil, he may just up and destroy that too."  
  
Urd squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to let Keiichi's testimony sway her stance. "Keiichi…they killed my father. No one knows about it apparently except you, the higher ups, and myself. Thy disgraced him for something he never did."  
  
"What do you mean, he never did? Michel said—"  
  
"To hell with what Michel said," Urd spun around. "He is the one who framed my dad so he could get the promotion to chief of the angelic division. He killed him!"  
  
***  
  
"So basically what I'm saying Belldandy, is that we need you to use you full power to defeat this threat." Megumi switched off the hologram with her mind, the room turned to a solid white.  
  
Belldandy looked at the floor, slightly depressed. "I have to hurt more people, don't I?"  
  
"No, no," Megumi waved her hands. "That's not it. You're not hurting people, you're saving people."  
  
Belldandy looked up at her friend with tears beginning to whel up in her eyes. "But you saw what I about did to Sayoko, and from everything I've heard and seen, 'IM' going to have to hurt, no, kill at least one person. A person, Megumi! I wouldn't even think about killing Mara if she tried anything as outrageous as this. So how do you expect me to hurt a human? If Asgard harmed him so terribly, why don't they just do what they think is right themselves? Why bring me into it?"  
  
Megumi sighed heavily. "Because that is your purpose."  
  
"My purpose is to hurt people?"  
  
"No, to protect those you love. If you don't help Asgard you are only putting the Earth and all of those people in grave danger, possibly condemning them to death."  
  
Belldandy cut her off. "There has to be another way!" she screamed, tears running down her face.  
  
"Belldandy," Megumi put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I realize this is hard for you. You've always been so kind to everyone, even Celestine, when he threatened Earth. But this time, there is no negotiation, no talking, no anything. You have to kill or you'll be killed. You have to have the strength to do what is being asked of you."  
  
Belldandy began to say something in rebuttal, but as she opened her mouth she felt a sharp pain in her head. It overwhelmed her senses. She bent over in agony, clutching her temples with her hands. Her vision flashed white. Scenes from the nightmare two nights before began to replay on the backs of her eyelids. Urd and Skuld fighting in the air. Her inability to move, Skuld murdering Urd, the shadow creature: they all shot past her eyes. Keiichi's words echoed in her ears, "Belldandy, will you marr--." She cringed as the sight of Keiichi dying in front of her flooded her mind again. Then as suddenly as it had started, the vision ended and she was once again staring at the blaring white floor of the imaging chamber.  
  
Megumi was shaking her shoulders. "Belldandy! Are you alright?"  
  
Belldandy glanced up, her eyes slightly wide. She shook her head and looked at the ground again. "It…it was nothing. Just stress I suppose." She faked a smile.  
  
Megumi have a curious glance at her and then stood. "Well, alright. So, are you going to help fight or not?"  
  
Belldandy stood and paused. With the question once again before her and the nightmare from two nights before having just imposed itself on her already troubled, she spoke. "Yes…Yes, I will do what I can."  
  
Megumi smiled triumphantly at the response. "Wonderful! That means we're done in here, and we can save the Earth now!"  
  
She willed the program in the chamber to end. Simultaneously, the door opened and she heard Michel in her mind. 'I take it she answered yes?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'Excellent! This is most wonderful news. I will go and inform Kami-sama of her decision. You are free to go now, orders will be coming down in the next few hours,' Michel said as he cut the connection between their minds.  
  
Megumi stepped to the doorway to the now once again blackened room. "Bell- chan, we can go now you know."  
  
Belldandy smiled weakly. "Yes, I know. I'm coming."  
  
Megumi left her sight and she glanced at her feet, shaking her head. "What have I done?"  
  
* * *  
  
Peorth walked back onto the command station platform that loomed above the giant computer, Yggdrasil. Her hair was still a bit damp from the steam bath she had just taken after the onsen. It had been a relief at the time, from the stupid bug they had been trying to tackle for the past few months. Of course, now she had to get back to work. Relaxation never seemed to last for her.  
  
She chuckled to herself. The sheer irony of all of this was beginning to strike her. From what little she had been told by Michel, this bug might be the core of the doublet system. It was odd though. For years she had been under the impression that Kami-sama had implemented it himself. Apparently that had not been the case since Michel, the second in command of Asgard, had seemed honestly worried that it could be the doublet system.  
  
It made since, she thought as she walked to her post, that the doublet system was a type of anomaly. The fact that one Asgard inhabitant was tied to one Niflheim inhabitant and should one die the other would die as well had always struck her as kind of odd. The type of thinking that the doublet system represented was the same type of feeling, i.e. the feelings Belldandy had always had towards the destruction of the demon horde—that none should be harmed and they should all try and live in peace, was only used by an isolated group of individuals. Most of Asgard thought quite differently. The eradication, or detention at least, of Niflheim would be a great accomplishment. So many times they had destroyed the best-laid plans for peace on Earth by appealing to the humans' worst sides.  
  
Peorth sat, over looking her subordinates. Of course that was the other side of the coin. They couldn't kill any divine without killing themselves. So the question was, who put it there really? Kami, to stop the demons from killing the divine? Or someone from Niflheim, to stop the divine from killing demons? Well, whichever it was, and if the bug actually 'was' the doublet system, there was only one reason it was degrading as Skuld has said. One side was obviously getting ready to do something drastic. And it was at that single point that she didn't quite know what to make of the situation. Perhaps it had something to do with whatever Belldandy had been summoned for. She just simply didn't know enough to say. Not that her thoughts on the matter were needed of course: orders were orders after all, which were to discover when exactly the bug was going to self-terminate and if at all possible, to control the rate.  
  
She let out a sigh. Some things just never quite made much sense. She glanced over at Skuld, who was still sitting staring at the screen in front of her, and ice cream spoon hanging out of her mouth. She wondered what exactly Skuld was thinking—if maybe she was coming to the same conclusions that she herself was making. Chuckling a bit, she dismissed that thought. True, Skuld was a brilliant programmer despite her young age, but more than likely she didn't possess the experience to come to such ends based on the evidence. Of course, then again, she could be wrong, and there was only one way to find out for sure.  
  
Peorth stood and walked over to the younger goddess. She crossed her arms on the back of the chair and laid her head on them. "Anything new yet?"  
  
Skuld tilted her head back and took the spoon from her mouth. "Actually, I was wondering about something."  
  
Peorth looked at her, intrigued. "And that is?"  
  
"Well I was thinking. If someone was going to put this thing here," she pointed at the screen. "They'd want to do it for a reason, don't ya think?"  
  
Peorth nodded. "Of course."  
  
"Well, I was trying to figure out why. And my guess was that Kami put it here to keep the demons from hurting any of us."  
  
Peorth smiled, glad to see that Skuld could at least derive that much. "That's my guess too."  
  
"Of course it is, we've all been told that since we were little."  
  
"Right again."  
  
"But you see," Skuld looked forward again. "That makes perfect sense until you see who 'initiated' the self-destruct thingy in the bug."  
  
Peorth raised an eyebrow. This was a new development. "You found out who started it?"  
  
Skuld smiled, pleased with herself. "Yup!" she reached out to the console and started typing furiously. "Look. See, at first there was no trace of the bug being accessed anytime recently, which at first made me think that it had been degrading the whole ten-thousand or whatever years its been here."  
  
"Okay…?"  
  
"BUT, I thought, 'ya know, for the rate it's going, it should have gone poof years ago.' So I ran a system check: nothing. Then I ran a log scan: nothing."  
  
"Did you find 'anything'?" Peorth interrupted.  
  
"Well, if you'd let me finish." Skuld gave a kidding glare.  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Well, I couldn't find anything anywhere that related to when and who altered the bug last. I mean I checked every log in the system. I was going to just give up on that idea, until I realized that I hadn't checked on place."  
  
"…And that was?"  
  
Skuld looked around to make sure no one was within earshot, and then turned in her seat to whisper in Peorth's ear. "Kami's console."  
  
Peorth's eyes widened considerably. "YOU D--… I mean, you didn't!"  
  
"Well it was the only place left."  
  
"Skuld do you know how much trouble you'd be in if someone found out you were doing that?"  
  
Skuld smiled. "Yes I do. But I didn't quite get in, so it doesn't count."  
  
Peorth groaned in frustration. "Well fine, what did you find then?"  
  
"In the outer defenses of his system, I found one line in a system file that had at one point in time, linked his console to the exact position of the bug."  
  
"You mean to say Kami is the one causing it to degrade?"  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say that…not yet anyway. It only means his system linked to it at any point in time. It could have been just a scan of the system that ran over the bug unknowingly. I'm going to have to do some more digging. But from how the command line read, its more than likely he did start it. What doesn't make sense is why Kami would want to get rid of it without telling anyone, and why he chose to put it on a timer…and why its hidden."  
  
Peorth blinked. "You're starting to sound like me."  
  
"You mean, you don't know anything?"  
  
"Obviously, I know less than you do."  
  
Skuld slumped back to her seat. "So… should I keep looking?"  
  
Peorth opened her mouth to say no, but then thought twice. None of this was quite adding up. Skuld was right. Why was the stupid thing hidden? And why was it degrading instead of just being wiped out all at once? And if what Skuld theorized was right, why did Kami start it going in the first place? She glanced about. "Ok, look, here's the deal. I'm not going to tell you to do what you think you need to do. But I will tell you that sometimes people get away with things when my back is turned." She winked for effect.  
  
Skuld smiled. "Gotcha."  
  
"But," Peorth stood up. "If you get nailed, its on your own head."  
  
Skuld looked uneasy for a second, then nodded. "Okay."  
  
"And one more thing. If you do find out anything, don't you dare tell anyone but me. Got it? Not even to your sisters. We don't want to cause people to starting thinking…weird things."  
  
Skuld nodded again. "Will do." She turned around and began to work again, with a bit more zest than before given her new "assignment."  
  
Peorth started back to her seat. Something was definitely wrong with this whole doublet thing. Something wasn't adding up, and for her, that usually meant trouble.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi took a step back from Urd who was fuming over what she had just said. "What? You mean that Michel...framed…?"  
  
"Yes Keiichi, he framed him. If my father had lived, he would have the position Michel holds now, the position under Kami. Do you understand the power he has?"  
  
Keiichi tried to access Yggdrasil about her father, but nothing was coming. It was simply wasn't there. "I… I don't know anything about any of that. Yggdrasil has no record—"  
  
Urd straightened and threw her hand in the air in sheer disgust. "Of course they erased all records of it. Everything about it was a disgrace to them. That may have been the only good they did. At least now no one ever learns about what they accused my father of."  
  
Keiichi sighed heavily; the stress of dealing with Urd was getting to him. "Look, Urd. I'm sorry that any of that happened. I truly am. I don't know anything about this place or its history, well, I guess I sort of do, but I don't understand any of it. All I do understand though is that this Sashera guy is going to wipe out this place and the Earth. He's probably going to kill all of you too. Even…" His voice grew softer. "Even Bell-chan." His shoulders slumped as he finally gave up."  
  
Urd's face fell a bit and she turned so she could see Keiichi out of the corner of her eye. He was kicking idly at the floor. He had tried so hard to convince her to save the things that were precious to him, and as much as she didn't want to admit it at that moment, precious to her as well. Her old prejudices were getting in the way of seeing the bigger picture. Keiichi was right, as much as it infuriated her. If she didn't help out in someway her sisters and the man standing in the room with her now would more than likely become the casualties of a war. She thought for a second. Wait, how could the demons or even she die? Didn't the doublet system protect against that?  
  
"Keiichi," Urd crossed her arms. "I do have one question for you then."  
  
Keiichi faced her. "Yes?"  
  
"You should know about the doublet system right?"  
  
He scanned the memory banks. "Yes."  
  
"If what you say is true, how could either side die without wiping out the other?"  
  
Keiichi blinked. "Umm… I don't know. Lets see." He scanned again for anything to do with the doublet system. This time a file came up under Michel's name. He didn't mention that though. He opened it. "Well, according to this, the system will be deactivated soon, just in time for you to pull off some big stunt and beat the demons I bet. It doesn't say anything about that though."  
  
Urd sighed. That sealed it she guessed. "Ok…" She nodded. "Alright, Keiichi I will help you save Belldandy. But I want you to understand that I will not take orders."  
  
Keiichi smiled. "Thank you Urd."  
  
"Yeah, save it for when we go home."  
  
The room faded to black and the door opened on Keiichi's mental command. Urd stepped to the door as he followed.  
  
"By the way Keiichi," she turned back to face him from the door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You never did explain that thing on your head."  
  
Keiichi sweatdroped again. "Well, you see… We got here…and…"  
  
Urd forced a smile. "I know, they wanted you to convince me and that was the quickest way for you to learn everything."  
  
"Yeah… I guess."  
  
"Figures." Urd turned and stepped the rest of the way through the door, her thoughts muddled over why exactly they 'had' turned Keiichi into a god.  
  
* * *  
  
"Belldandy!" Keiichi's face beamed as he stepped from the imaging chamber to see his goddess sitting on a bench just outside. She looked up from the ground, which had been receiving her full attention since she came out with Megumi. For the first time in over a day she brightened. Jumping from her seat, she ran to Keiichi and wrapped her arms around him tightly.  
  
Keiichi was taken aback a bit by the sudden hug, but just as quickly he smiled and returned the gesture." Are you okay Bell-chan?" He whispered just loud enough for only her to hear.  
  
She squeezed her arms tighter for a moment. "Not really, but I don't care, now that I finally get to see you."  
  
"Come on kids, let's go." Urd was standing several feet from the two of them, next to Megumi, with her arms crossed.  
  
They looked over at her. "Where are we going Urd?" Belldandy asked.  
  
"I'm really tired actually, and if 'anyone' expects me to do some outlandish stunt like everyone seemed to want me to do, I want some sleep." She turned and walked off, Megumi in stride.  
  
Keiichi turned back to Belldandy, still in his arms. "That's not a bad idea actually, especially for you Bell-chan."  
  
Belldandy sighed. "I'm not that tired. Just more or less confused."  
  
"I know what you mean. I mean I got here and first thing they do is turn me into a god."  
  
"And a handsome one at that." Belldandy smiled and pinched his arm as she turned and began walking, her arm in his.  
  
Keiichi laughed, something he very much needed. Belldandy talked as they followed the path Urd had just taken. "Yes, Megumi told me about that while we were waiting for you to come out chamber. I think its sort of odd."  
  
"No kidding."  
  
She nodded. "Never have I seen the council approve such a thing. Sure they've done some very unusual things in the past, like the time they approved one goddess's request to become a squirrel."  
  
Keiichi looked at Belldandy inquisitively. "They actually did that?"  
  
"Oh yes. Of course, she wasn't quite right to begin with. It was probably in her best interest that they approved that before she gnawed someone else's leg off."  
  
Keiichi began to ask something but decided he probably didn't want to know. Belldandy continue talking anyway. "What I don't understand though, is why they would just give you and Megumi god status. If I had asked them to, I'm sure they very well would have, but they just did it for no reason. At least not a public one. I don't know, I just have this bad feeling about it."  
  
"Well, what do you think about this whole Sashera thing?  
  
Belldandy shivered a bit.  
  
"I'm sorry, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."  
  
"No, it's not that. It's just the way these past few days have gone. Megumi told me that Kami had told Urd to pester Skuld until it drove me crazy and then hit me with that lightening blot to break my earring, supposedly to not tip off the demons that they wanted my seal broken. And then when I was flying to the palace, after I woke up, I broke my seal completely. Megumi pointed that out by the way. Not Kami, not Urd, Megumi pointed it out. Don't you think someone would have noticed my seal in three parts? Well come to think of it, Urd did look kind of worried earlier when we were walking with Kami, but he…he acted like he was pleased."  
  
"Well, from what they've said, isn't that what he wants?"  
  
"Of course, but why go about it this way? Why not just ask me to take the earring off? Why did they have to make me change my attitude and then hit me in the head?  
  
Keiichi reached down and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry Bell-chan. I don't know why they did what they did, but I'm sure they didn't mean any harm to come of it. Maybe they just wanted you to be on edge to…uh…"  
  
Belldandy squeezed his hand a bit. "I think I know why they did it, but it doesn't make sense still."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Well, the only thing I could think of while waiting for you was maybe they wanted me to be mad just to fight this Sashera. But if they had asked me I probably would have helped."  
  
"You mean you really would just go and be this weapon Kami said you were?"  
  
Belldandy nodded softly. "Yes, I would have…if it meant protecting you and my sisters. I sometimes wonder though, if I really am this weapon."  
  
"Well, I never heard you mention it before."  
  
She looked over at him and smiled wearily. "Would you have believed it? That this girl you love so much and who loves you so much was a world ending weapon?" She chuckled. "I've never even believed it myself."  
  
Keiichi tried to stay upbeat. "I'm sure they never meant to use you, until this came up."  
  
"That's the part I never liked. If they make something with a specific purpose, they know ahead of time they're going to use it eventually. It not like they just make deterrent weapons."  
  
"When did you find out that you were this weapon?"  
  
She sighed. "A year after Celestine was imprisoned. About the same time that Michel was elevated to his first major position of power now that I think about it. I remember that because Urd was complaining about it right before I received word of this weapon business."  
  
"So um, what is it exactly, if you don't mind my asking?"  
  
Belldandy rolled her eyes as they finally passed out of the doors of the monstrous chamber and stepped outside to the marble pathways. "What I was told is that my power was designed to work at extraordinarily high levels that would normally evaporate any other goddess. And because of that and my focus, I can direct nearly all of my power at someone or something at once. And then…" She trailed off.  
  
Keiichi noticed her obvious discomfort at this line of conversation. "Oh…I see." He finally said.  
  
"It's a little more complicated than that, but that's it in a nutshell."  
  
Keiichi looked forward at the Asgard plains and the city they were in. he couldn't really care about the magnificent beauty of the marble towers and luscious green grass that filled the parks and fields. His Belldandy was upset, more than that, she was even depressed. And if the love of his life was sad, he wasn't going to allow himself the pleasure of happiness until she returned to normal. He held her hand a little tighter as they continued on in silence towards Urd's old house.  
  
* * *  
  
Skuld sat unblinking as the rows of code rolled past her eyes. She was sitting in the same chair she had been in for the past thirteen hours, though now she had her legs underneath her in a kneeling position. Her elbows rested on the panel just below the screen, her face just inches away. The only light in the mammoth chamber came from several concealed spotlights that lined the walls, shining an eerily yellow glow on the normally tan surfaces. The only color besides the black and yellow of the chamber came from Skuld's screen. As all the other gods and goddess had gone home for the time, she was the only one still there.  
  
She didn't care really. She worked alone a lot of the time anyway and the task at hand was higher on her priority list than noticing that the only sound besides the low hum of Yggdrasil was the sporadic typing she would do every once in a while. She had tried, and failed, several times to get past security measures in the system that linked to Kami's console. This was definitely the most challenging piece of work she had done in quite some time.  
  
She groaned audibly. The back door she had worked on for the past half hour had failed, like all the others she had come up with. She sat back and pondered a moment. What she really needed was access to Kami's office, but that would be impossible. Security on that area of the network was tight, but nowhere near the security around his physical office.  
  
Suddenly she had an idea. Of course, why hadn't she thought of it before? Skuld began typing again, furiously. It was so simple. She could temporarily trick Yggdrasil into believing her console was Kami's and then she would have access to his section of the network. If she could get the protocols right, which wouldn't be that hard since she had read nearly every log and learned some very valuable bits of information, she might be able to bring this whole mystery into full view.  
  
Several minutes later she sat back once more, pleased with herself. She had entered in all the info to clone his console for at least for the five- minute interval when Yggdrasil did system checks. She checked Kami's lines: inactive. Smiling she hit enter and watched as his lines were disconnected and rerouted to the screen in front of her. Crossing her fingers she hoped that this would work. Instantly, files flashed up on the screen. Whole lists of top-secret documents she would love to read popped on the screen, but she knew she only had so much time.  
  
Skuld began looking for anything that looked remotely close to anything related to the doublet system. She checked every file, every folder, but could not find any leads. With the four-minute mark past she began to get nervous. Nothing was helping her. Just then, she noticed a hidden folder that said "DBLT." Excited, she opened it and copied the only file in the folder: RNK.  
  
With her time running extremely short, she shut the connection off and reset the lines before the system check could find it. She let out a gasp of relief, patting her self on the back for a job well done. She then opened the file. Encrypted, big surprise there. Skuld set about writing a de-encryption program to crack the file open. The way the file looked though, it was going to be a feat in itself to crack the first layer. She knew there were going to be more, perhaps thousands more, and she needed to get this done before people started coming back from break.  
  
She spent the next hour writing the base program and getting it to run on the console without being detected. When she was satisfied with her work, she let the program start on the file. It was going to take a while. She stood and stretched for the first time since she came to Yggdrasil. She didn't know what time it was exactly but she had a good idea she had spent the better part of a day in that chair. She began walking around that area of the platform, not wanting to venture too far away and have someone happen by to discover her little operation.  
  
A few more hours past until the file finally yielded to the program Skuld wrote. By this time Skuld was getting sleep deprived and was loosing interest quickly in whatever was in that file. The beep went off causing Skuld to jump up from the floor where she had been laying, staring at the ceiling. She ran over to the screen and opened the file. Her smile almost instantly vanished from her face as began to read. Her eyes became increasingly wider as she read more and more. Her stomach began to twist at the words on the screen. She shook her head. "No…" she said to the air. "This…this cant be." She began to cry. "This just cant be true!"  
  
Suddenly she heard a noise from the entrance to the chamber. Skuld spun around. Shadows moved along the walls. One near the entrance was pointing for the others to go. It was an ambush, she had been found out. She quickly turned back to the console and copied the file to the icon on the forehead before formatting the console and wiping out any evidence of her activities. Gathering her senses she looked around her again. The figures on the wall were shrinking… they were moving in on her. In almost a panic, she looked for an escape. She could find none that probably wasn't guarded. She turned back to the now dark console. That was it. Behind the screen was the shaft that the three Yggdrasil trunks ran through. She quickly jumped over the console and down the shaft.  
  
Further and further down the shaft she flew, past all the different departments responsible for keeping Yggdrasil running. Not as though any of that mattered to her as she went by them in a blur. Finally she came to the base, the imaging chambers. Air braking to a halt above them, she changed direction and headed for the exit of the gigantic chamber that both her sisters had been in just hours before. She flew fast, very fast, and very low to the ground. Her skirt was trailing the ground, kicking up what little dust there was into a small could behind her. She ventured a glance behind her, hoping the cherubs trailing her had been lost. In the darkness of the now unlighted chamber, she could see nothing following her. Nearing the exit, she slowed and landed before leaning against the archway to catch her breath.  
  
Skuld panted as she gathered her thoughts. She had to get that file to Peorth somehow. But seeing as someone was on to her, giving it to her directly was not an option. She would have to hide it somewhere and then give Peorth the location. It was harder that way, but safer. But where was she going to hide it. She had it, the temple. She could hide it in the temple for the time being. No one would look there for a while, she hoped. Just as she started to take off again to accomplish this, she heard a whoosh of air behind her. Spinning on her heels, she only saw the head of the white cherub as it charged her. Reacting, she jumped as the strangely shaped security creature came into contact, hitting her left leg with intense velocity. Skuld winced as the pain shot up her leg.  
  
The cherub then tucked into a ball and hit the ground, rolling to a stop. It then stood, facing Skuld, and stretched out its hands, producing a long golden rod with a shimmering green orb attached to the top. Skuld turned just in time to see the cherub lunge, staff in hand, the odd, wing like appendages on its head flailing out behind it. Skuld flew higher, allowing the creature to pass under her, as it had no time to correct its path. She knew that was her chance. Before the cherub could turn around, she bolted for the plains.  
  
Her left leg hung lower than the right as she flew, the calf muscle still reeling from the impact a minute before. She flew high this time, trying hard to loose the cherubs in the clouds of the semi-night sky. She looked behind her again. A ways behind, she saw three of the white creatures gaining on her. Looking forward once more, she produced her hammer in her right hand, just in case. Thinking fast, she knew she had to find a body of water. The problem was, in all the confusion and in the dark, she had no idea where she really was. Somewhere outside of the capital was all she knew. There was a lake to the north, but that was it. She prayed that was the direction she was headed.  
  
Suddenly she heard air rushing behind her. Glancing back, she saw that two of the three were now at her feet and in the process of extending their rods to subdue her. She was going to have none of that. Reaching back, Skuld hit one on the head with her hammer. It winced in pain and fell back several yards, but just as quickly returned. It was then she started to panic. She dove, fast, out of the clouds. And just as if on cue and by a miracle, she spotted a massive lake below her. She nearly cried with relief and straightened out, legs sort of together and hands at he sides. The cherubs though were now next to her and ready to create a holding field with their staffs. Just as the green orbs began to spark with energy, the three hit the water with a fearsome velocity. A great spray of water shot up into the air, looking as though a geyser had just been formed. The third cherub, lagging a bit behind, looked on with unemotional red eyes as the water rained back down on the lake. The bodies of its two companions slowly bobbed back to the rippling surface, face down.  
  
Skuld gasped for air as she exploded into the bathtub back at the temple. She wheezed for a minute or so before as the water splashed all around the room. As the air returned to she lungs from the flying she had been doing the water in the tub went back to its normal placidness, lapping gently at the edges and around her. The sound of the crickets outside now began to be heard while the silence set in. Slowly, she got out of the tub, wincing again as her leg touched the ground. Mentally she thanked whoever had forgotten to void her transporting power as protocol mandated for these types of situations. She limped out to the hall, holding one hand to the wall to steady her. Now all she had to do, she told herself, was to hide the file and then find someway of communicating with Peorth.  
  
As she past by Keiichi's room, she paused in the doorway. She smiled sadly. If only he and Belldandy knew. She spotted a photo album on the floor. Walking over to it she saw pictures of Keiichi and her sister smiling happily without a care in the world. They were so happy, and as much as she never wanted to let on, she was happy for them. That was why that file hurt so bad. What it contained would end that happiness. She reached down and slid out a picture from the middle page the book was turned to. It was one of Belldandy sitting on the porch in a blue dress on what looked to be a beautiful spring day. She was smiling at the camera as though she was the happiest person alive. Of course with the cameraman being who he was, that wasn't far from the truth.  
  
Skuld turned the picture over. It had a note on the back. "To Keiichi, May you always have such happiness as you have brought me. Yours, Belldandy." Skuld let a tear fall to the paper. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her arm. She then made a decision. Putting her finger to her forehead, she allowed the file to take on physical form as a glowing orb on the tip of her index finger. She moved her hand delicately to the back of the picture and placed it on one of the gray "Fuji" logos that lined the paper. The orb sank into the word, causing it to turn a darker gray than the rest. Turning the picture back around, she placed it back in its place in the photo album and closed it. She then placed the book back on Keiichi's shelf. No one would ever find it there, she mused.  
  
Finally rid of the file, she limped outside and sat on a rock, the crickets around her still singing. She listened to the sounds of the city slowly going to sleep. It was then she led the tears finally start. People, places, loved ones; they all entered her mind as she recalled the file and the whole plan laid out within. She couldn't let it happen. What was worse was that Kami, her Kami, the one that she always thought loved them, had written it. It was too much for the young goddess and she wept long and hard.  
  
As the tears came to an end and tiredness began to creep upon her, her thoughts finally began to become coherent again. She had to get in touch with Peorth, somehow. Just as she started to think about how exactly she was going to do that, she heard a twig snap behind her. She sat up straight and froze.  
  
"My my my. Quite a little prankster aren't we?"  
  
Skuld cringed at the harsh woman's voice. It sounded familiar.  
  
"Thought you could ditch the evidence and then run back home? Thought you could just hide out here and that no one would find you? You're not messing this up for us."  
  
The voice spat at this last sentence. Skuld turned around to see a shadow moving towards her fast. She felt a stinging pain in her neck as the figure brought its hand down hard on her shoulder. Skuld felt her consciousness slip from her, one word escaping her lips as she slumped to the grass below.  
  
"…Mara…"  
  
-------------  
  
End Part 5  
  
What on Earth? What's going on now? Who exactly is Sashera? Why is it that Peorth doesn't know anything about Belldandy and vise versa? What was in that file that's so dag gone important? How did Skuld get caught? Will the file be discovered? What happened to Skuld? Why was Mara there? And why in the world does the Indiana State Legislature make me go to school when the last semester doesn't count anyway since I'm a senior? I mean I might as well stay home if my grades arent doing anything to help me! I have a 4.0 anyway, so why even ask me to show up? Anyway, will these questions be answered? Who knows? Why am I still asking questions?  
  
Be prepared for a month or more delay as I am graduating and have little time to spend writing. Hopefully Ill have lots of time in June. Stay tuned, and if I'm late, email me until I stop being lazy. ^_^  
  
Comments? Criticism? Large checks? Send to tsunami.no.ai@insightbb.com  
  
For this story and more: http://tsunami.craton.net Or  
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=84815 


	6. Habitation

Of Angles and Demons By: Ben Craton Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and Koshuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001, 2002 by Ben Craton ---------  
  
Of Angles and Demons Part 6: Habitation  
  
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Quietly, Belldandy and Keiichi walked along the marble path, down the gentle hill towards where Urd and Megumi had gone. They had been walking arm in arm for the better part of thirty minutes, silent as there wasn't much to say. Occasionally Keiichi would look over at his goddess to catch a glimpse of her sad face. It wasn't really that sad, but it was weighted down with all the stresses of the past few days.  
  
He knew something was wrong, she had even said so herself, but there was really nothing he could do for her. He didn't understand half of what had happened just in the one-day, let alone all the things probably mulling around in her mind. Gods, goddess, Yggdrasil, Sashera: none of it made since to him. Not that he had expected it to either. All he did was act as a speaker while Yggdrasil pumped words through him.  
  
As they had walked from the huge tower that held the greatest computer in existence, Keiichi tried to either keep his mind on just getting Belldandy to rest without launching into a crying fit or on the scenery. The sun, he supposed, was setting about the time they had started and now it was nearly down below the hills. The silhouettes of the mountain ranges seemed to him as a line of huge giants, sleeping in the new night air. The air too was clean and fresh, it even put the lake he and Belldandy had gone to earlier to shame. Not a single impurity to be found.  
  
Just the path he was walking on amazed him. Solid white marble stretched the whole length of the path, which seemed to be miles. It was nearly the width of a highway he guessed and on both sides, the greenest grass grew with some of the most exotic flowers he had ever seen.  
  
The city they had spent most of the day had fizzled out a half mile or so back, as they were now walking in what looked to be a residential area. Houses in Asgard though, looked not too different from those on Earth. Cleaner, yes, but not the magnificent palaces Keiichi had dreamed of would be there.  
  
"We're here." Belldandy said, little more than a whisper, breaking the silence between them.  
  
Keiichi looked where she was looking and saw a small house, one story, with a Japanese style shingled roof. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn it was nothing more than a slightly scaled down version of his own temple. They approached the door and opened it. The interior was just as simple as his own house, expect it was quite expansive. A couch and some chairs were on his right, and on his left was the kitchen and a table with chairs, all part of one large room.  
  
Urd was sitting at the table, sipping a glass of sake. She didn't acknowledge the pair's entrance.  
  
Keiichi gulped. He hadn't seen her quite so, distant before. "Um. Excuse the intrusion Urd." She didn't respond.  
  
Belldandy softly took off her shoes and laid them down, taking note of Keiichi's discomfort. "Don't worry about it Kei-chan. You can make yourself at home."  
  
Keiichi nodded and followed suit with the removal of his shoes. He set them next to Belldandy's and followed her over to Urd. Belldandy walked over to the kitchen counter, which was partly covered with shadow, and poured herself some coffee that had been sitting for quite some time. Keiichi stood silently by the table. The stillness of the whole house was a little over bearing. He glanced down at Urd while Belldandy mulled about the small kitchen.  
  
Urd's eyes were staring off into space, not in so much a pondering way, but more of a fatigue induced trance. She moved the small, round glass to her lips slowly. She probably didn't even taste it, Keiichi thought. She did look rather sad though. Perhaps the talk earlier about her father's death was getting to her. He felt sorry for her. Not only had she been forced to make her own sister mad at her, but also had old memories drug up again.  
  
Belldandy walked over the table and stood behind Urd. She looked at Keiichi with a bit of curiosity on her face as she took a sip. Her nose wrinkled up and she looked in the glass as though she might 'see' how strong it actually was. Failing to do so, she glanced around.  
  
"Urd, where's Megumi?" she asked.  
  
Urd made a grunting sound and gently sloshed the bottom of her glass towards a closed door. Keiichi looked in that direction. She must have gone to bed, he thought. Fair enough, he figured he might as well try and get some rest also. He turned back to the sisters, both of which were now sitting.  
  
"Well, I think if Megumi is already asleep, I guess I ought to be doing the same," he announced.  
  
His words fell on deaf ears as Belldandy was quite absorbed in staring at Urd, trying to figure out why she was acting funny. Keiichi sighed and walked to the room next to the door Urd had pointed out.  
  
"Goodnight," he said over his shoulder.  
  
Not hearing anything in return he opened the door and went in.  
  
Belldandy sat, still staring at Urd. For over ten minutes she sat, while Urd stared at the wall. Silence prevailed in the room. She would sip her outrageously strong coffee every so often, studying the look on her sister's face. Finally Urd set down her glass and began to speak, still looking at the wall.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
Belldandy quietly and calmly spoke back. "You know why."  
  
"That doesn't make it right."  
  
"No, and I feel no different than you do about this. On my way home, I decided that if it meant I was protecting those I care about, I would do what ever was necessary."  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
"Even kill?"  
  
Again.  
  
"Even kill."  
  
Urd grew a smirk on her face and closed her eyes. "You have changed haven't you?"  
  
"I may have. But I'm guessing that you haven't."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Urd," Belldandy set her elbows on the table, cup in hand. "I realize what happened to you, but think about how long ago that was."  
  
"I try not to."  
  
Belldandy sighed. "Are you still letting your grudge control you?"  
  
Urd glanced over at her. "Look, I said I would cooperate didn't I?"  
  
"You did."  
  
"Then why are we having this conversation?" she turned back to the table.  
  
"Because this is bigger than you are. If what they told us is true, then you know exactly what Sashera would be after."  
  
"The council," Urd said flatly.  
  
"Yes, and should that happen, should he succeed, what would happen then?"  
  
"I don't know, you tell me."  
  
"He will kill us all."  
  
There was a pause while Urd gathered her thoughts again.  
  
"So I have to protect them too don't I?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Even if it means helping my father's killers?"  
  
"Even if it means not becoming like them yourself."  
  
Urd glared and looked away. Her conscience was shifting too and fro, weighing pros and cons. After a while she spoke, still not looking at her sister.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Thank you Urd."  
  
"But only until Sashera is gone, then it goes back to the way it was."  
  
Belldandy set down her cup, disappointed. "If you fell like that's something you need to do."  
  
Urd nodded. " I do."  
  
Several more minutes past where nothing was said.  
  
"What about you?"  
  
Belldandy looked up, an eyebrow raised. "What about me?"  
  
"Why are you doing this?"  
  
"I told you Urd-"  
  
Urd turned around and looked into the other goddess's blue eyes. "All you told me was because you protecting those you love. So am I. But why?"  
  
Belldandy was confused. "What do you mean why? Because I love them."  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"What? Of course I do Urd, you should know."  
  
"Just Keiichi, just Megumi. What about all the other humans?"  
  
"I love them too.I guess."  
  
"Guess? All they do is start wars, kill each other, rape, burn, all for their little selfish desires. They're no better than the council."  
  
Belldandy blinked, surprised. "Urd! I can't believe you just said that. What about all the things they have? Love, hope-"  
  
"They don't either! Humans don't know what love is. Take a look around you Bell-chan! Everyone is out for themselves. Every relationship, every business deal, every treaty, they're all out for number one. Why I bet even Keiichi-"  
  
"Keiichi loves me!" she felt herself becoming angry again, but more fraught with sadness that her sister was acting like such a witch.  
  
"Oh does he? He's human, or at least he was. If he loves you so much, why hasn't he asked you to marry him? Why haven't you shown him you love him? He's out for himself; he just doesn't want to be lonely."  
  
Belldandy stood up, the chair's legs screeching as it was pushed backward. Tears were starting to fall down her face. "Urd! I.. He loves.. You've seen it before!!! You know we love each other!!"  
  
"I've seen two people, one who had the man of her life convicted as a criminal, and the other who couldn't find a girl if his life depended on it find solace in each other's company."  
  
Belldandy grimaced. The scene before, when she had slapped Keiichi across the face, just to see if he would still care for her played in her mind. He had passed that test, but maybe Urd was right. Maybe she 'was' using him. But she refused to believe it.  
  
"You wouldn't even know! You've never been loved."  
  
"I don't want to be used." She said nonchalantly.  
  
Belldandy didn't know what to say. The exhaustion from the day, the confusion of before, and Urd's words were combining to make her so very confused. The words coming from her sister's mouth were starting to convince her. How could this happen? She knew, KNEW, he loved her. But he had never asked for commitment, nor had she. And she didn't know why. Tears running down her face, she ran to the room Keiichi had entered, leaving Urd to mull by herself in the darkened kitchen.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiichi flipped off the light and crawled underneath the blanket on the futon. Unlike the palace he had woken up in that morning, Urd's house had only futons. He chuckled to himself; figuring heaven wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  
  
He rolled over, facing the window. The dark blue sky stared back at him. One thing odd about the sky, there was no moon, or stars for that matter. Just a solid sheet of blue that faded to black at the mountains. The only things in the sky that night were the wisps of clouds hanging like dark gray feathers. Crickets sounded outside, like a small chorus. Keiichi smiled. It was much nicer here than in Japan. Quieter at least.  
  
He closed his eyes trying to sleep. The cricket song lulling him down into the deep ocean of dreams. He floated blissfully down as wave after wave of rest washed over him. He dreamed.  
  
Keiichi stood next to Belldandy and Urd. They looked very angry, almost like they were fighting something in the distance. He stepped away from them to notice they didn't move. They were frozen in place, glaring at whatever enemy was before them. He turned in that direction and about wet his pants.  
  
Before him, coming down out of the clouds, was the enormous head of a snake. It was transparent and dark blue, its eyes glowed a fierce red. The clouds were twisting and writhing around it. He stood, dumbstruck at the size. It must have been a mile from one eye to the other.  
  
They stood like that for sometime. Urd and Belldandy still frozen, the serpent hovering above the group, and Keiichi, wide-eyed and in shock. Suddenly the snake's red eyes exploded in a violent and blinding flash. Keiichi saw nothing but red.  
  
Then he was on the top of a mountain. The snake was gone and nothing but clear blue sky was around him, a slight breeze blowing clouds a ways off. He turned and looked, and far off, was another mountain. Belldandy stood on it, turned away. He called out to her but she could not hear him. Even though he was far away, he knew somehow that she was crying. He turned again, and saw Urd, on yet another mountaintop. She was sitting with her legs curled up to her chin, rocking slightly back and forth.  
  
Then he looked down between all three mountains and saw a lake, surrounded by a lush green forest. As he watched, the lake began to steam, then to boil. The trees caught fire and burned away, embers blowing past him. The sky turned black as the water started to rise. It took the shape of the snake again. This time the serpent was red. It raised its head and looked at Keiichi. It opened its mouth and winds blew like hurricanes, the other mountains exploded into volcanoes, and Keiichi could not tear his eyes away. Then it spoke in a low, earth-shattering hiss. "IT.IS.FINISHED" And with that it lunged at Keiichi, bearing down on him with fangs dripping blood.  
  
Keiichi shot up off his futon, drenched in a cold sweat, panting. His eyes were wide and not yet focused on his returning surroundings. Putting his hand over his face and breathing heavily he made sure that his hallucinations were indeed over. He kept his hand there for a bit until his breathing returned to normal. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he sat and looked at the floor, not wanting yet to return to sleep for fear of seeing that snake again.  
  
Keiichi took a deep breath. Slowly his mind began to wander back to reality, to the dark room in which he had fallen asleep. For at least five minutes he continued to get a grip on himself, until finally laying back down to face the window.  
  
'It was just a dream,' he thought. 'Nothing more than a dream. Come on Keiichi, pull yourself together. You're a big boy now.'  
  
He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the crickets and not on the snake from his dream. The sounds began to work on him again as he started to feel the pull from the calm depths of Nod. He felt warm, comforted, like an angel was holding him after his ordeal. It was quite comfortable, especially the way his leg was being massaged. That wasn't right.  
  
Keiichi's eyes opened and looked towards his feet. Sure enough, draped over his leg and arm, were the leg and arm of another. He began to sweat again and a small twitch started on one corner of his shocked smile.  
  
"Um. Urd? Would you kindly get out of my room?" he asked.  
  
No response. He carefully rolled out from under the appendages and sat up, squinting in the darkness. "Urd?" It was then he about wet his pants again. There in from of him, wearing only a slip, was a slightly sprawled, slightly curled, sleeping form of Belldandy, the blanket only covering her from her stomach to her knees. There wasn't much left for the imagination.  
  
Keiichi about fainted, but gathered himself and looked, out of chivalry, at the wall instead. Why in the world was she in his room? Had she lost her mind? Or maybe had Urd drugged her again? No, those couldn't be it. He snuck a glance at her and gulped. It was then in the faint light, something glistened on her face. Keiichi's heart sank. She had been crying, a lot.  
  
* * *  
  
Urd sat alone in the darkness. She rested her head on one arm, which was propped up on the table and was mindlessly drawing circles on the surface with her free hand. It had been about an hour since Belldandy had run out of the room, furiously turning out the light as she went. She had run to Keiichi's room. More than likely, Urd thought, to prove her wrong.  
  
She sighed and laid her head on the table. Why had she been so mean? It wasn't like she really thought Belldandy didn't love Keiichi. She did know that. Maybe it was the fact that all the pressure on her, with the Sashera thing and seeing Michel again, that she wished she had someone to lean on or to talk to too. But she didn't, unless the sake bottle counted.  
  
It just wasn't fair. She had never had anyone to talk to except Belldandy, and she didn't really understand what her problems were. She just listened while Urd emptied her emotional baggage, then she would hug her and act as if it were all solved. The best intentions had always been there, Urd was sure of that, but there wasn't really anything Belldandy could have done.  
  
And now Belldandy had Keiichi and Urd was alone again. It wasn't like she didn't want to have close friends, far from it. She did, but something kept holding her back. On the way home, she had tried to strike up a conversation with Megumi. That hadn't gone too well. Megumi had been exhausted and not very talkative. It wasn't as if she would have understood Urd's concerns about the whole issue anyway.  
  
Why couldn't she just have someone to talk to like everyone else? Someone like Keiichi. Sometimes, she wished Keiichi would forget about Belldandy for a while and just sit and talk to her instead. He seemed to know what to say about anything. Yet, he was always busy or with Belldandy. Perhaps that was it. Maybe a little bit of herself was jealous of her sister. Maybe she really did want Keiichi. Maybe she just wanted someone.  
  
A small tear rolled down her cheek. Urd didn't care though, no one could see her now. Sometimes she wished that her life would just start over, or stop at all. She didn't want to continue living in the shadow of her sister or with the pain of her father's death. She didn't want to remember all the men she had tried to fill the space in her heart with. She just wanted another chance. Another life.  
  
Looking at the floor for a moment, she decided she would start over when the Sashera thing was finished. She would leave the temple, maybe resign her license, and go out on her own. Yes, that was what she wanted. To find her own place instead of letting others make it for her. She was going to live again. She smiles weakly and stood up. If she was going to start over, she needed sleep first.  
  
* * *  
  
Morning came all too soon. The sun, or whatever it was in Asgard, rose and streamed in through the window of Keiichi's room. It did not wake him however. He had been up all night cradling Belldandy's head in his lab as she slept. After he had been awoken by her entrance the night before, he had watched her face while she slept. Not once did she smile, only a placid look was on her, every so often replaced by a wince. He had gently put her head in his lap and stroked her hair until the wincing stopped. And in that position he had stayed until the sun had risen over the distant mountain range.  
  
Being a god had yet another perk as his body did not ache from sitting in that way for so very long. Not like he would have noticed anyway, he only had one thing on his mind: Belldandy. All he wanted was for her to be back to normal, to be happy, to be home and safe. But after the day before, he had come to accept that wasn't going to happen. At least, not until this Sashera was taken care of.  
  
Belldandy stirred and opened her eyes as the streams of sun reached her. She raised her arm to block the rays and looked up at her guardian, smiling finally.  
  
"Hi there."  
  
"Morning," Keiichi smiled back at her.  
  
"Have you been there all night?"  
  
"All night."  
  
She smiled with a tinge of sadness. "I'm sorry Kei-chan."  
  
"Sorry for what?"  
  
"Getting you involved," She sat up, turning to face him.  
  
"I was involved anyway."  
  
"Then I'm sorry I'm so emotional."  
  
"You have every right to be." Keiichi leaned over and gave her a hug.  
  
"Thank you.Kei-chan." She hugged back.  
  
A knock came at the door, slightly surprising the both of them. Instinctively they moved always apart as to not make whoever it was think the wrong thoughts.  
  
"Come in," Keiichi said.  
  
The door opened and Urd peaked her head in. She looked over at her sister. There was a long pause as she and Belldandy looked at each other before Urd smiled slightly. Belldandy smiled back after a moment. Urd finally spoke.  
  
"Good morning Keiichi." She turned to him.  
  
"Morning Urd."  
  
"I hate to interrupt your time together, but Kami wants to have a word with us." Urd said softly.  
  
"Do you know what for?" Belldandy began to stand.  
  
"Nope. But it sounded kind of important."  
  
"Alright, come on Kei-chan." Belldandy held out her hand to Keiichi, helping him up. She flashed some goddess clothes on herself and a more fitting set of clothes for her other half, one that closely resembled what he had worn while possessed by Celestine. She smiled at him.  
  
"You look 'very' nice in that." She winked too.  
  
Keiichi smiled back.  
  
Urd rolled her eyes. "Come on you two, Megumi is waiting for us outside."  
  
Belldandy turned back to Urd, "What about Skuld?"  
  
"I think she was working at Yggdrasil late last night, probably still there."  
  
"Ah, well, let's go then and get this all over with."  
  
* * *  
  
Again, the group was standing in front of the mammoth wooden doors that led to the chamber Kami used as his office. Urd, being at the front of the four, walked up to the desk which sat off to the right of the portal. She peered over the edge down at the smaller goddess sitting there.  
  
[pic]"We're here to see Kami. again."  
  
The secretary looked up from the papers she had been going over, then looked back down, not really acknowledging Urd's presence.  
  
"He's not here right now, do you have an appointment?"  
  
Urd's face fell. "Of course I have an appointment. He called me personally this morning."  
  
The secretary hmmed and flipped through a schedule book. She ruffled through the pages for a few moments before she stopped and ran her finger down one of them. "Ah, here we are. You must be Urd. Yes, you're supposed to be in the ready room."  
  
Urd raised an eyebrow. "The ready room? What for?"  
  
"Doesn't say. Sorry. Guess you'll just have to find out."  
  
Urd sighed. "Thanks anyway." She turned back to the other three who had been standing looked around half aimlessly. "Looks like we have to go to the ready room."  
  
Belldandy got a confused look on her face. "Ready room? Why?"  
  
Urd shrugged. "Dunno."  
  
Keiichi looked at Belldandy. "What's the ready room?"  
  
Urd started walking off and the rest began to follow as Belldandy talked. "The ready room is more or less a room where the higher ups plan operations like the kind to infiltrate demon organizations. I guess that we're supposed to talk about the whole thing we learned about yesterday."  
  
"Probably." Megumi spoke from next to Urd. "By the way, where is it?"  
  
"Just over here." Urd pointed to a large marble dome in a courtyard off to the right of the huge hall with Kami's office.  
  
They walked up to the domed building. It was made of solid marble and surrounded by four towers which rose twice as high as the building itself. The doors were made of a slightly darker stone than the rest of the structure, trimmed with silver.  
  
As they approached the doors swung open silently. A figure emerged and walked towards them. Urd began to walk a bit slower. Belldandy leaned over to Keiichi and whispered in his ear. "Michel."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Good morning to you all. I'm glad you could come so quickly." Michel shouted over the still considerable distance, his arms open.  
  
"Save it," Urd replied.  
  
Michel's face turned from a smile to a more placid look and he clasped his hands behind him as he neared. The two parties stopped as they met. Urd tried notably not to glare at the god, but found it hard not to. She did have the good sense not to speak. In her place, Belldandy spoke up.  
  
"Michel, why are here? What's so important to get us up this early for the ready room? I wouldn't think that after yesterday w e would act so soon."  
  
"Ah, Belldandy, ever the bright one. I'm sorry to say that we can't speak of it out here in the open. Please, come and we shall discuss it in safety." Michel turned and gestured towards the door.  
  
Immediately, Urd took off at a quick pace, Megumi hurryingly trying to keep up. Michel closed his eyes in frustration while not moving. He opened them again and sighed heavily. Belldandy approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just bear with her, please. She'll get over it in time,"  
  
Michel turned and followed Urd, the young couple next to him. "I'm afraid that I've contributed to too much in her life's pain. I doubt she'll ever forgive me, but I do wish she would at least be responsive."  
  
"In time," Belldandy smiled weakly remembering the conversation she had had the night before. Urd just needed time to heal, to be rid of her own demons, of which she herself had created most.  
  
Entering the building, the group, Urd several steps still ahead, wound its way trough corridors filled with a strange air about it. The walls were bare and while, it felt almost like a clean room, sterile of everything, even them. Eventually they came to a large central room filled with monitors and screens all over the white marble walls. At center was a large pedestal with holographic images suspended above it. Gods and goddesses were scattered around the large room, stationed at various consoles while looked like smaller versions of the central pedestal. They were all chattering softly into headsets.  
  
Michel stepped in front of Urd and guided the group to the center where Kami stood waiting. He walked up and stood at attention.  
  
"Lord, I have brought them."  
  
Kami looked at the others and nodded. "Good, we must get started, time is running short."  
  
Urd spoke up. "My lord, excuse the bluntness, but what is so important? Yesterday it seemed like our situation was not all that urgent."  
  
Kami gestured for them all to gather next to the hologram. He had a concerned look on his face, not at all like the one he had the day before. It looked like he was under a lot of pressure then.  
  
"Yes Urd, yesterday it was fine, we had time. All that changed last night."  
  
Belldandy became worried at the level of concern in Kami's voice. "What happened?"  
  
"Last night, you sister, Skuld, was abducted by the horde."  
  
Both Belldandy and Urd gasped, Belldandy squeezed Keiichi's arm tightly. "H.How? Why?"  
  
"We don't now why yet. Not positively. She had returned to Midgard for some reason, we suspect to relax from working so hard for Peorth yesterday. While she was there, the demons took her. From as much intelligence as we have, we believe she's been taken to Niflheim."  
  
Urd swallowed hard. "Niflheim? Why? That doesn't make any since."  
  
"It does if you consider that Sashera resides there."  
  
"Why Skuld? She hasn't done anything." Belldandy wiped a few tears from her eyes.  
  
Kami looked at her with compassion. "We don't know for sure why they took her. We guess that she was an easy target as she was out in the open. She's also very good with the Yggdrasil system, that could also be why. They may want to infiltrate the core as did Celestine."  
  
Keiichi leaned on the pedestal and looked from Kami to Michel. "I take it then we're to get her back?"  
  
Kami smiled. "You're quite right." He began to walk around the pedestal. The holographic image changed to one of the earth, spinning silently in space. "You are indeed here to get her back. Why you? Because as you are retrieving her you may be able, Belldandy, to take out Sashera himself, or at least a considerable part of the demon infrastructure."  
  
Keiichi blinked. "I don't know if we should sir. I mean, why should we? You have lots of others who could go in and get Skuld out better than we ever could."  
  
"Well. this is true. But we did not bring you all here to sit around and wait for your time. We brought you here in case something like this happened. We turned you into a god so that you could assist Belldandy in whatever she needs to do. This is your time, it's sooner than any of us could have guessed but it is here none the less."  
  
Belldandy closed her eyes for a moment, contemplating what was going on. She stood straight and nodded. "I agree. We must do this now. They took Skuld and as much as I don't want to hurt anyone. I won't allow anyone to hurt my loved ones. I will go."  
  
"Good, because we have chosen you, Urd, and Keiichi to go."  
  
Megumi looked confused. "What about me?"  
  
"You my dear will have to aid Peorth in Skuld's absence. There's a lot of work to be done. Michel will take you there now."  
  
Michel walked over to her. "But I want to go too. She my friend too you know."  
  
"You are needed elsewhere my dear. Please understand, you are best needed at Yggdrasil."  
  
Michel held out his arm for her. She took it reluctantly and left with him. Kami addressed the remaining three. "You all must realize, this may be a trap."  
  
They all nodded. "Good. The plan is simple." He pointed to the image of the Earth. "It is a little known fact, but all three worlds, Midgard, Asgard, and Niflheim, are all connected. There are gateways to all of the worlds on each. They are seldom used so this will be the best way of infiltrating Niflheim."  
  
Urd raised a hand. "Wouldn't they expect something like this after a blatant attack? I would think they would have any gate guarded."  
  
Kami sighed slightly. "Yes, you are correct, but not as heavily as the straight way in. No one much journeys there anyway. Their guard at a little known portal should be minimal."  
  
"Where is it?" Belldandy asked.  
  
Kami raised a pointer at Eurasia. The globe zoomed in and flattened out on the pedestal as a topographical map." The portal is in a temple in the Ural Mountains. I'm sorry to tell you; the energies there are very volatile; you would be able to teleport straight there. The closest you will be able to get is within three miles at best, the rest of the way you will have to walk or fly if you are able. After you cross into Niflheim, you will have to navigate the tunnels in order to find your sister. Unfortunately, we have no information on her location."  
  
Keiichi took a deep breath. "Seems like a lot. You sure you want 'us' to do it?"  
  
Kami smiled. "We'd like nothing else."  
  
* * *  
  
"Owwwww." Skuld winced as she finally came to. The throbbing in the back of her head made her think twice about opening her eyes. The sensation was immense, almost making her nauseous. She opened her eyes anyway, but it was pitch black. She couldn't see anything. She tried to sit up and then realized that she was bound to whatever she was lying on at the wrists and ankles. It was then she started to panic.  
  
She pulled and tugged at the restraints, desperately trying to rip them off and free herself. The bonds held firm though and she only accomplished nearly pulling her own arms out of their sockets. She lay back, semi- defeated and closed her eyes to think. She needed to communicate with Peorth. Gathering her wits she tried openings a connection between herself and Yggdrasil. She could visualize the connection opening up, the bright blue tunnel forming in her mind. She began to visualize herself going down the tunnel and coming close to the other end, with Yggdrasil. Suddenly, something cut her off. It was like slamming her mind into a brick wall. Her body jerked uncontrollably for several seconds before she laid still, her eyes rolled up, breathing heavily.  
  
"Tsk tsk tsk. Now isn't that unfortunate?" A female voice began talking in the darkness, its sound reverberating off the walls, if there were walls. Skuld could hear footsteps nearing her, sounding like high heels on a cathedral floor. She tried talking but the second blow to her head caused her horrible pain when she did.  
  
"Aww. That's sad. The mighty programmer, Skuld, can't even talk now. And after only a few knocks to the head." The voice laughed. "What a sorry state you're in now eh? Stuck in some dark place, tied down even. What could be going though that little mind of yours? I bet you wish you had your sisters and that moron human with you now don't you?"  
  
Skuld squeezed her eyes tight to try and relieve the increased throbbing. She tried again to speak. "W..Who are.." She gulped at the nausea.  
  
The voice leaned close to her. Skuld could feel the breath on her face, but kept her eyes shut. "Who am I you ask? You should recognize this voice. We know each other quite well. I've tried so hard over the past two years to get you and your sisters. Every time, you all would foil my plans. Not this time little one. Heh, no not this time. This time I have more power behind me then you can ever imagine. I'm going to get you all. And what's more." She leaned in closer. "This time you're all going to die."  
  
"M..mara." Skuld gasped.  
  
The demon smirked in the darkness. "Not so stupid after all."  
  
Skuld breathed in and out trying to regain some composure, even though her headache wasn't helping very much. None the less, she still managed to speak without great pain.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why you ask? It's not that hard to figure out. You read that little file. You know what's about to happen. Our horde is destined to conquer Asgard and the Earth. You gods and goddess think your so high and mighty, you and your Yggdrasil. That's all about to end." Mara smiled. "The great snake will rise from the bowels of the Earth and consume everything. The time of the gods is over. It's our turn now!" She began laughing.  
  
"You'll never be able to."  
  
"Oh really? Pretty soon, your sisters and that human will be here to rescue you. Finally, it will begin. Do you realize that things have already been set in motion? There's nothing you can do to stop it now. However. we can't have you telling your friends about that little file, now can we? That would be unfortunate for us. So now, you're going to tell me where you put that file."  
  
"No."  
  
"Hmm. figured you were going to say that. Well, let's put it this way. Either you help us and we spare you, or you can resist and face the consequences."  
  
Skuld breathed deeply and replied in her most ominous voice she could muster. "No."  
  
"Oh my. Aren't we getting testy? Well, I guess then we'll just have to force it out of you."  
  
Skuld heard the sound of something metal and heavy scraping across the floor. Suddenly she was dealt a huge blow to her midsection. She body convulsed and heaved. She coughed. "Where is the file?"  
  
Skuld refused to answer; only offering silence. "Tell me where it is!" Mara's voice was starting to sound maniacal. "TELL ME!"  
  
"N..no." Skuld whispered. Mara growled. Skuld hear her grunt as she swung again. The hit was twice as hard as the first time and right at her lower ribs. She could feel the bones cracking as she coughed up blood. The pain was unbearable but her resolve only hardened. Over the next several minutes this continued. Mara beat the little goddess without mercy and without results. Frustrated, Mara dropped the heavy metal object on the rock floor; the clang reverberated throughout the room.  
  
"Fine you little wench. You won't tell us, then we'll just make sure no one ever finds out." Mara snarled and spit in Skuld's face.  
  
Skuld was bleeding from several open wounds on her abdomen and her clothes had been nearly all ripped off from the savagery. She couldn't move from the pain of several ribs being broken in more than one place. She knew why she was still alive though, the horde didn't want one of their own to die. She had been allowed to live, but for how long, she didn't know.  
  
Mara snapped her finger and the room finally illuminated itself with a blood red glow, the walls' many cracks and juts casting ominous shadows around the room. Skuld tried to keep her eyes open for more than a second, but couldn't. She felt the demon unshackling her from the slab of granite she was on. She wanted so desperately to escape, but had no energy whatsoever. Mara picked her up and slung her over her shoulder.  
  
"You're soo going to regret not telling me Skuld. Now you have the privilege of meeting the master. I'm going to enjoy watching what he does to you." She smiled and Skuld passed out, hanging behind her.  
  
* * *  
  
Heat. That was all she felt. The searing envelopment of heat surrounded her and engulfed her. Red. All she could see was red. Her eyes were still shut, at least she thought, yet her vision was nothing but that one color. The bright color of blood. A great sea of blood that her mind floated on. Away from the world, the taunting, the pain, the loneliness, the truth. Blood. She could taste it. It reminded her of her wounds, her beating. The fact she couldn't die and the fact that soon she would. The pain would continue she was sure, but soon, soon, she would die along with everyone she loved.  
  
She began moving. The sea moved swiftly beneath her. She was flying, faster and faster towards the yellow horizon. The air became increasingly hotter the farther she flew. The sky too became brighter and brighter until she was consumed with light and heat. She felt her body burned away and she screamed.  
  
Skuld's eyes flew open and she sat up. A cold sweat drenched face. She wiped it off. The pain of moving caused the pain in her abdomen to quickly announce it was still present. She clutched herself, waiting for the pain to relinquish a bit. It was then she realized she was no longer bound. Blinking a few times, she looked around her.  
  
Her dream had not been a very bad description of the cavern she was now in. The floor was crimson and dull, yet still made of stone. The rock walls glowed of a bright mixture of orange, yellow, and red. The ceiling, several hundred feet high, was covered with stalactites ranging from small bumps to huge stone spears. The cavern itself was enormous. It stretched on from where she was sitting, at least half a mile or more. Behind her, the same distance away was the entrance to the cavern. Before her, the floor stretched until it came within three quarters of the way to the wall, and then dropped of suddenly. The glow and heat resonating from the crevasse told her that only molten rock was down there. The wall across the crevasse stretched from the magma to the ceiling and was very rough looking.  
  
Gathering her strength, Skuld tried to stand. She held her side with her hand and with her other, pushed herself up to where she could move her legs underneath herself. She stood, as well as she could, which was nothing more than a glorified hunch. She tried standing straighter, but that only caused her to start coughing up blood again. Wiping her mouth, she turned towards the entrance and began walking.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" A voice called from behind her. Skuld didn't need to look back to know who it was.  
  
"I'm leaving, demon." Skuld continued.  
  
Mara laughed. "You think you can just escape like that from the master?"  
  
Skuld didn't respond and kept walking. Mara laughed harder then suddenly became very quiet. After a few more steps, Skuld started to get a bit worried. She finally looked back over her shoulder at where Mara's voice had been coming from. She was kneeling in front of another demon that apparently had appeared just seconds ago. The demon was wearing a skin tight black leather body suit that showed off all of her legs. Two blood red shawls draped over her shoulders and connected at the center of her belt. She had high black boots and carried a long black staff with silver trimmings and a red orb on the top. Her silver hair flowed down to her waist. She and Mara were talking softly but Skuld couldn't hear them.  
  
Then they looked over at her and smiled. Skuld shrunk back. Suddenly Mara lunged. Like a blur she moved towards the small goddess. Before Skuld knew what had happened, Mara was behind her, holding her arms together with power that was completely unlike her. Mara normally didn't have such power. Skuld winced as she twisted her arms a bit.  
  
"Come on missy, lets go meet someone first." Mara kicked her knee into Skuld to get her moving back towards the newer demon.  
  
The silver haired demon smiled as they neared her. She walked towards them, meeting halfway. She took a hold of Skuld's chin and looked into her eyes. Skuld stared back with a bit of fright at the demon's colorless eyes. The demon chuckled to herself. "So, I take it you still wont tell us where you have hidden the file? That's all very well; we'll just have to make sure you tell no one where it is." She smiled and stepped back from her.  
  
"I take it you would like to know who I am. That's what your scared little eyes told me."  
  
"Y.Yes." Skuld stammered as Mara gave her arms another twist.  
  
"My name is Hel. I am the goddess of Niflheim, if you want to call me a goddess. I have hated Asgard and your arrogant race since before the great war. Odin betrayed me and sent me here, instead of a place of power. Too bad now I'm going to destroy his little empire. Everything he created, I'm going to destroy. And I'm not going to let a little brat like you ruin it for me."  
  
"What are you going to do to me?" Skuld was beginning to get more frightened. Hel was not supposed to be alive. In the legends, Odin had her sent away to Niflheim for helping the demons. She was supposed to have died here.  
  
Hel smirked. "Me? 'I'm' not going to do anything to you just yet. First, we're going to have to separate you from Yggdrasil."  
  
Skuld's eyes went wide. "What!? You can't do that! That's impossible!" She began to squirm in Mara's grip.  
  
"Heh, that's what you think. You think you're Kami is so powerful eh? You think Yggdrasil is so great? Let me tell you something you little brat. Odin may have planted Yggdrasil and he may be the greatest god you've ever heard of, but you've forgotten one person. And you should know him. You read all about him in your little file."  
  
Skuld was very scared now. The whole file had been about one god, one being, one resurrection. "He can't do anything to me! He's been banished for all eternity. Your whole plan is flawed you stupid demon!"  
  
"Oh really?" Hel smiled wickedly. "You think that he's gone for good eh?" She spun around towards the magma pit and raised her arms. "Great master of darkness! I beg you show yourself and strike shear terror into the heart of the one who does not believe! Show yourself and begin our path to dominance!"  
  
At that moment, the entire cavern began to shake with violence. Skuld was now struggling to get away, but between Mara's hold and her weakness, she couldn't get anywhere. The stalactites on the ceiling began to break loose and fall around them. The magma started to bubble and spurt out onto the cave floor. Skuld watched in horror as the wall across the pit began to warp. It twisted and heaved. Lightning streaks shot out from the wall. The sounds of tearing flesh and a mighty wind formed together as a figure began to emerge from the rock face. A huge behemoth of a creature that looked like the severed top half of a man came into view. His arms spanned the width of the cavern and were chained with mammoth chains to the wall. His lower half was missing and his waist was about even with the floor, it looked as though what innards he had were hanging out of him from his waist.  
  
As the creature finally became clear, the rumbling stopped and the lightening and wind ceased. There was silence for a second. Then the great head of the beast raised it self. The head was like that of a man but it was contorted and mauled. The lips were pulled back and showed the set of gnarled twisted teeth behind them. On his forehead there was a marking, a vertical line with a triangle on the middle right that pointed right. If anything looked like the king of demons, it was this. It opened his mouth and let out a hideous scream. A thousand souls dying and a thousand hurricanes howling would not make such a sound.  
  
Skuld was so terrified of the thing that only one word could escape her mouth. "Loki."  
  
Hel cackled as the terrible scream subsided. "That's right goddess. Loki, the great master of all the demons and equal to your precious Odin is alive and will soon be set free! Your time is at an end."  
  
Loki, without moving his mouth, spoke from behind snarled teeth in a deep resonating rumble mixed with a high pitched scream which reverberated his words, making them sound spacalized. "This is the goddess that shall kill the other."  
  
"Yes mater!" Hel screamed to the beast.  
  
"Kill the other?! I'm not killing anyone you freak!" Skuld tried twisting again but failed.  
  
"You shall fulfill your destiny goddess. Demon queen, I will separate her, you shall infest her!" Loki spoke.  
  
"With great pleasure my lord!" Hel turned to Skuld with an evil snarling grin and laughed.  
  
Loki opened his mouth and screamed with the terrible noise again. This time though, a black energy ball with white lightening formed in front of his mouth, the gathering energy screeched as it flowed into it. The marking on his forehead glowed dark red and his eyes turned solid the same color. Skuld desperately tried to escape. Loki's head jerked back as he released the ball towards the young goddess. Skuld could only stare and scream as the energy hit her dead center in the head.  
  
The icon on her forehead began to glow blue and absorb the ball. Within seconds the ball was gone and Skuld's icon glowed even brighter. Skuld started to shake uncontrollably and Mara let her go. She flailed about on the ground in convulsions until suddenly she went completely stiff. Her icon shot a blue energy column to the ceiling. Her eyes and mouth hot open and emitted the same light. There was a deafening scream of pain as the column slowly turned from blue to black. The scream slowly weakened into nothing and the column disappeared. Skuld's icon fragmented and disappeared along with her cheek markings.  
  
Hel laughed hideously. Mara stared at the now lifeless looking form of Skuld. She had been stripped of the power Yggdrasil had given her. To say the least, Mara was shocked as well as frightened. "Is..Is she dead?"  
  
Hel walked nearer to Skuld. "No my dear, she isn't dead. She's been fire walled from Yggdrasil."  
  
"Fire walled?" Mara asked.  
  
"Yes. Even Loki can not sever the connection, at least not in his present state. But what he can do is block the transmissions to and from it. Yggdrasil now thinks she is dead and so ceases communication with her. As long as she does not remember how to access it, she will never be able to connect again."  
  
"And how are you going to make sure she doesn't remember?"  
  
"Simple." Hel smiled and touched the orb of her staff to Skuld's forehead and began to chant in an ancient language. The orb began to glow until it let off a bust of energy into the little goddess. A red 'v' appeared on her forehead. "Arise, Krasel!"  
  
Skuld opened her eyes and stood. She blinked and instantly her clothes disappeared and were replaced by a black jump suit with silver armor, her hair flowed down to her waist where a silver sword with a great emerald in the end of the hilt was. She kneeled in front of Hel and spoke in a deeper more ominous voice.  
  
"I am at you bidding my Queen. I pledge my allegiance to you and to the demon lord Loki."  
  
Hel only cackled.  
  
----- fin -----  
  
And so after a very, very long absence I write the 6th part of Of Angels and Demons. Starting college, having an almost fiancée, and joining NROTC will kind of steal your time. I ask that you all don't write me hate mail and send death threats for what happened to Skuld. But really, can you blame me? If you stole a file essential to all of Hell's domination of the Earth and Heaven, what to you think would happen to you? Actually, I think she got off easy, but who cares? Stuff happens, and more will happen. I told you this was dark. Oh well. Stay informed on when the next eon comes out. I doubt you will want to miss it.  
  
1 DEC 2002 


	7. Darkness Piercing the Light

Of Angles and Demons By: Ben Craton Aka: Genki Dama  
  
Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and Koshuke Fujishima.  
  
Story and original characters Copyright 2001-2003 by Ben Craton ---------  
  
Of Angles and Demons Part 7: Darkness Piercing the Light  
  
---------  
  
Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical. -The Art of War [12:17]  
  
--  
  
"Ouch! That hurt! Why couldn't Kami send us somewhere that wasn't like the black forest?" Urd rubbed her arm where a branch had just jabbed it.  
  
"You know that he couldn't get us any closer than he did." Keiichi called back at her.  
  
"You'd think he'd make a clearing or something at least." Urd crossed her arms and huffed. "We can't even fly around here."  
  
Belldandy rolled her eyes as she pushed the front. It had been at least an hour since Kami had sent them there, wherever it was. All they knew was that they were in eastern Europe, but where exactly was anyone's guess. The forest was extremely thick. The undergrowth was robust and mostly thorny. The floor was invisible because of the amount of foliage. There were small pine trees here and there, but only where there was a small clearing where it had room to grow. The trees themselves were enormous. Dark and ominous, they towered high above the trio, blotting out what little light there was.  
  
The mist didn't help much either. It wasn't blinding, but it kept their vision limited to only a hundred feet or so. It moved like a great spirit, even there was no wind at all. It was silent too, no birds, no rustling of leaves. It was like walking through a graveyard. The forest seemed to be watching them from all sides, waiting. The only thing that kept them from freaking out was light conversation that had nothing to do with their mission, apart from Urd asking every so often if they were there yet.  
  
Still, there was no path, they had no map, and only Belldandy to guide them as she was the only one of the group that could feel out places of power. But even she seemed just as lost as the others.  
  
Urd gruffed again. "These stupid thorns keep pulling on my skirt!"  
  
"Take it off then." Keiichi smiled wirily.  
  
Belldandy turned to give him a not so nice look. Urd sweatdropped. "I'm afraid you would enjoy that entirely too much."  
  
Keiichi grinned. "Not much more than what you usually wear."  
  
Urd shrugged. "True, but no. But what I will do..." She snapped her fingers. Nothing happened.  
  
"Is...?" Keiichi was waiting for her to finish.  
  
"Umm...oh damn! I forgot about that stupid temple. Ugh, I was going to get myself some hiking clothes. But oohhhh no. Can't use my power near it. What good is a first class license when you cant use it?" She mocked.  
  
Belldandy stopped for a second and turned her head. "When did you get an first class license?"  
  
Urd chuckled. "Of yeah, I forgot to tell you didn't I? I got it two days ago. Sorta just, slipped my mind I guess."  
  
"Sometimes I think you are one of the dumbest people Urd." Belldandy turned around and kept trudging ahead.  
  
"Hey! That's not very nice." Urd tossed a small pine cone at her sister, bonking her on the back. Belldandy turned, smiling, and tossed a bigger one at Urd, knocking her in the forehead.  
  
"Take that."  
  
Keiichi moved out of the line of fire as the cone went by his head. He grinned. "Nice to see you smiling again."  
  
Belldandy smiled bigger. "Thanks Keiichi. I fell better now."  
  
Urd rubbed her head. "Oh yeah, back to her old self. Lots of fun."  
  
Belldandy gave her a mocking glare and started forward again.  
  
"Just out of curiosity, Bell-chan, are we getting any closer?"  
  
"Uh... well, it seems like it, but I really have no idea. Kami said we'd see a bunch of monoliths before we got to it. I guess they surround the temple."  
  
"I don't even see rocks." Urd kicked a bush out of the way. "You would think we would see 'something' by now. How long has it been? An hour?"  
  
"Probably." Belldandy said. "I can't reach Yggdrasil right now because of the interference, or else I would have asked for directions."  
  
"Why must there be so much interference? Its just a stupid old temple."  
  
"Yes, and a gateway to Hell if I recall. You would think that a cross dimensional breach would play havoc with elemental energies." Belldandy broke a branch off a tree what was in their way.  
  
"What is Neiflehelm like?" Keiichi asked.  
  
Belldandy blinked. "Well... honestly, I've never thought about it. Never been there."  
  
"I have. Its not a very nice place." Urd bunched her skirt up to near her waist, getting tired of the thorns playing tag with it. "Its dark. Everything is either black or red. Everything glows a dull reddish color. There's always this annoying rumbling sound. And it smells."  
  
"Like what?" Keiichi hopped over a log.  
  
"Sulfur. But it's not that strong. It just sort of, reminds you every so often you are an idiot for going there."  
  
"Guess we're idiots then."  
  
"Guess so."  
  
"So, how come you were there Urd?"  
  
Urd sighed. "Oh, back in the good old days, I got to play page for the higher-ups. They'd send me down there every so often, delivering messages and such. That was back before..." She paused. "Anyway, no one goes there anymore."  
  
"Any reason?"  
  
"Would you want to?"  
  
"Point."  
  
Belldandy stopped suddenly, raising her hand, causing the other two to quickly hush. She turned around and looked at Urd, using some hand signals Keiichi couldn't make out. Belldandy pointed to herself and then to her left. Urd nodded. He turned to Urd with a questioning look. Urd mouthed the explanation. 'Demons.' She jumped backwards and got behind a tree. Keiichi looked for Belldandy, but she too had hidden herself. He decided he should do the same. He leapt straight up and lighted on a branch silently.  
  
Keiichi listened hard for them. He could hear only slight rustling of leaves, not much. He looked over at a tree about twenty feet from where he was. In it, Urd crouched, searching the area below. He looked over to Belldandy, who had taken up residence in a tree father away than Urd. She too was scouring the ground. The air began to move in soft gentle waves around him, thick and dark.  
  
"We know you're here goddesses, just come on down and get it over with." A woman's voice called out from below.  
  
"Yesss. Pleassse do." Another voice hissed. It was serpentine and seemed a little too eager.  
  
A half a minute of silence passed. The lower pair's footsteps grew closer to where the three were hiding. Keiichi craned his neck carefully to see them. A few seconds later, they stepped out into the clearing. One was indeed a woman. She wore a skintight leather body suit with steel armor plating; a huge sword was strapped to her back. The other creature with her was shorter than her, though very menacing. Its body was long and black; its snout came to a snarly point. It hovered in the hair with two red dragon like wings; its pudgy arms were curled up in an anticipated attack stance, baring its sharp claws.  
  
Keiichi gulped. They had no weapons and their powers were useless. His breathing quickened. The dragon thing stopped and sniffed the air.  
  
"I sssmell divine flesssh." It giggled in a high pitched screech,  
  
"They must be close, fly high Sharezel. Track them down." The woman took the sword from her back and went to the defensive.  
  
'Come on Keiichi, control yourself.' He quickly held his breath as the dragon lifted off and began flying through the near trees. It began to cackle.  
  
"Come out godesssesss. I wisssh to tassste you're flesssh again."  
  
It flew faster and faster about the trees, dodging the trunks and branches by mere inches. Keiichi saw where it was heading. It was going towards Belldandy.  
  
"NO!" Keiichi left from the tree down to the clearing, landing a few feet from the woman.  
  
The woman swung around and leveled the sword at his throat. He swallowed hard. "I am the one you want, I surrender to you."  
  
The dragon, Sharezel, flew up behind him.  
  
The woman's face grinned evilly. "Ah, so you're the little scoundrel sent to kill the master? You don't look like a goddess to me." She glared.  
  
Sharezel sniffed him over and paused.  
  
"Where are the others?" The woman stuck the sword up to his skin, drawing a bit of blood.  
  
"W...what others? I'm the only one here." Keichii stammered.  
  
"You lie!" She growled and nodded to the dragon. He instantly spun quickly in the air, using his tail like a whip and cutting into Keiichi's back. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees.  
  
She stepped closer to him, placing the point of her sword under his chin, lifting his head up to meet her eyes. She moved closer so he could smell the sulfur in her breath. "Ill ask you again and no more, you dog. Where are the others?"  
  
Keiichi glanced up for a moment and then back down at the woman. "Why... why don't you ask her?"  
  
The woman looked puzzled for a moment, then as realization stuck her so did Urd's double fist on the back of her neck. She crumpled and rolled to the side, jumping to her feet and reeling around to face her assailant, sword in hand. Urd stood to her feet, glaring menacingly at the woman.  
  
"Leave here now," Urd growled.  
  
Sharezel took this opportunity to grab on to Keiichi's shoulders with its claws and wrap its tail around his waist, pointing the end of it to his throat.  
  
"Goddessss, you are the one who isss to leave. You and you friend here." It hissed.  
  
"You are in no position to make demands goddess!" The woman grinned fiendishly, her grip tightening on the swords hilt. "You have a choice, you can die, or you can surrender. I prefer the latter much more, but the master gives you the choice. Which will it be goddess?"  
  
Urd did not change her expression, nor her posture. "I think I will have to choose neither."  
  
"You will choossse, or you friend diesss." The serpent thrust its tail closer to Keiichi's neck.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Urd's voice seemed to calm for the woman's liking.  
  
"And what are you going to do about it witch? Kill us? With what? You have no weapons and you can not use your powers here. You have no third option. I will ask again. Surrender or death?"  
  
Urd's cold, emotionless glare stabbed into the woman's eyes. "I choose neither." She spoke slowly.  
  
At that moment, a blur fell past Keiichi's back taking the dragon with it. Keiichi doubled over, the pressure on him now absent. The woman turned from Urd for one second to see what had happened. The shock was apparent on her face. Belldandy was in a crouching position, her back half turned to the others. She stood slowly and faced them. In her hand was a thick branch, and at the end of that hung the lifeless body of the serpent, dangling by its head.  
  
Belldandy just stared at the woman. No emotion, no fear, no nothing. Her normally shimmering eyes were lifeless and void blue orbs. The woman began to show signs of nervousness.  
  
"H..how, could you kill Sharezel? His skin is hard as steel." She questioned as nervousness crept into her voice.  
  
Belldandy said nothing. She simply stared at her. Urd crossed her arms. "I told you, I choose neither."  
  
The woman reeled to face Urd, then reeled back to Belldandy, obviously loosing all bearing. "You.. will not take me as well! I will fall each of you! I swear it!"  
  
At this Belldandy tossed the stick and its victim to the woman's feet. "You shall not." Her voice was flat and lifeless. "We shall take our leave now."  
  
The woman was now sweating, the sword trembling slightly in her hands. "You will not! You will die!" She regained her composure and assumed an attack stance.  
  
"Come Keiichi." Belldandy said flatly, not taking her eyes off of the woman. Keiichi stared at her, a streak of fear running through him. This could not be his Bell-chan.  
  
"NOW!" He scrambled to his feet and stood behind her so as to not be able to see her eyes. "Let us continue, Urd?"  
  
Urd glanced over at the woman, "I told you." She began walking in the direction Belldandy was going.  
  
"I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!" The woman lunged at Belldandy, sword extended, ready for the kill. Her battle cry screeched through the air. It was all over in a split second.  
  
Belldandy spun just as the blade was inches from her face. With one swipe of her hand she deflected it, causing the weapon to fly harmlessly over her shoulder. With her other hand she grabbed a hold of the woman's free arm and yanked her closer, bringing her own knee into the abdomen of the warrior. Before the woman could even wince in pain, Belldandy pushed her away while simultaneously wrenching the sword from her hand. She leveled the steel at the woman who was coughing up blood.  
  
"We will leave now." She said calmly. "You will never hurt my Keiichi again. NEVER!!"  
  
"I will kill you goddess!" The woman reached into her boot and retrieved a large dagger. She lunged a second time. Belldandy stepped to one side as the crazed attacker flew by, unable to change her direction. Closing her eyes, she flipped the sword around and jabbed it behind her. The sound of steel meeting flesh stung the air. The woman screamed, then died.  
  
Keiichi couldn't move, his eyes were wide and staring at his lover, the hilt still in her hand. Urd's reaction was no less filled with shock, but not quite as filled with fear as was Keiichi's.  
  
"B...Belldandy," He quivered. "You, you killed!" He began backing away from her slowly.  
  
Belldandy drew in a long deep breath, allowing her grip on the sword to loosen and fall away. The heavy weapon leaned to one side and fell to the ground, prying the woman's flesh as it did. She let her breath out through her mouth slowly, calming her self. She opened her eyes and looked over at Keiichi. The life had reclaimed her eyes, yet she still had not regret.  
  
"I did not kill her Kei-chan," she said plainly.  
  
"Wha?" He looked from the corpse to the goddess and back again. He pointed in disbelief. "How do you explain that then!? She's not breathing!"  
  
Urd stepped up to her sister and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Belldandy closed her eyes at the touch. Urd spoke. "Demons and beings of the Hell do not die so easily. They must be killed with magic and not without killing one of our own."  
  
Keiichi's hand sagged as realization sunk in. "Oh yeah. But still..."  
  
"She will be incapacitated for the time being while her body regenerates, we should get going," Urd started moving.  
  
"Wait." Belldandy said.  
  
"What?" Urd stopped and turned to her sister.  
  
"Wait, she may know where Scold is."  
  
"I doubt that a lowly specter would know where she is."  
  
"Still, she may be of some use to us." Belldandy turned to the body lying on the ground. She bent down and picked the sword from the ground. With anything but mercy she yanked the steel from the woman's back. She walked around to her head and kneeled down placing her hand on the girl's shoulder, turning her over. She smacked the girl's cheeks a few times.  
  
"Wake up specter." She said with mock compassion.  
  
After a few seconds, the woman began to cough up blood. She took painful, hacking breaths, wheezing for air. This of course was quite difficult seeing as she had half of one lung missing. Slowly she opened her eyes, trying to focus on the blur hovering above her. As her vision cleared and realization dawned, she lurched up but found that a severed spinal cord was hampering her efforts to move.  
  
"Yo..you," she said is a rasp whisper that sounded forced.  
  
"Yes, me. Tell me, where is my sister?" Belldandy asked flatly.  
  
"I...I don't know."  
  
Belldandy stood and placed the sword over the woman's neck. "Tell me now!"  
  
Keiichi leaned over to Urd, speaking in a low tone. "I thought that you said she can't kill a demon without magic."  
  
Urd grinned. "She can't, but without someone to put the demon's head back on her head would just lay there until it could reattach to her body. And since the body is encapsulated, it couldn't get up and do it itself cause its gotta have the link markings to regenerate Now wouldn't that be unpleasant?"  
  
"I really don't know!" The demon pleaded. "I was just told to find you two and to stop you."  
  
"Who told you?" Belldandy questioned.  
  
"Hel, she told me to take Sharezel with me."  
  
"Just the two of you? A specter and an underling?"  
  
"Yes, yes I swear."  
  
"I see...we are leaving now. I do hope you find a new...companion." She said looking over at the quite dead serpent. "Oh yes, and I shall be taking this sword with me. You don't seem to be able to wield it. You might poke someone's eye out." She smiled sweetly, got up and joined the others.  
  
"I will have you goddess! I swear, when I am whole I will come for you." The specter yelled, her voice returning. She twitched on the ground trying to move still but finding it still quite undoable.  
  
* * *  
  
Deep within the caverns of Neifilhelm, Hel stood below the ominous beastly figure of Loki. Her head was bowed and her hand was in a fist over her heart. The figure rumbled as it strained for breath, shaking the cavern as it did so. Hel stayed in her stance regardless, expressionless.  
  
"How far away is the most loved one demon queen?" Loki hissed through the twisted net of teeth.  
  
"Not far now my lord. They will find their way here within the hour. The specter I sent earlier has been wounded within the forest not more than a mile from the temple."  
  
"This news is good demon queen. The time for resurrection is at hand. Begin moving our forces out from this accursed place. Have the infested goddess bought here. The time for her to kill the elder is close."  
  
"As you wish." Hel bowed deeply and turned to exit. The figure of Loki sunk back into the rock wall behind him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Not much farther now." Peorth looked behind her at the trailing demi-god. Megumi was enthralled with the magnitude of the architecture around her. Since she had left the others and followed the scantily clad goddess she had seen nothing that had not amazed her. Of course, she was walking through the most spectacular sights in all of Asgard but did nothing to hamper the impression it left upon her.  
  
Peorth suddenly stopped and felt Megumi run right into her back. The smaller girl jumped back at being shaken from her transfixiation. She blinked and looked up at the goddess. "Gomennasai."  
  
"Get used to it, all of this place looks the same." Peorth waved her hand at the walls. "Its not really that impressive."  
  
Megumi thought about this for a second before turning her head back to the building. "For you maybe. It's the first time I've been here remember."  
  
Peorth sniffed. "So it is." She began walked again down the long corridor. Megumi quickened her pace and tried walking next to her.  
  
"What is it you need me for anyway? I figured you have quite a lot of skilled people running around. I'm nothing special"  
  
"Apparently the Lord thinks differently. All he told me was to take you up and put you to work. Although I have no idea what I could have you do." She scratched her head.  
  
"All I know how to do is build engines."  
  
"Yeah..." Peorth crossed her arms. "We don't have much use for those around here. Not with the ability to fly and all." "I didn't figure you did." Megumi sighed.  
  
"Ah well, I'm sure I can find you something to make you feel useful." Peorth smiled down at Megumi. She seemed to brighten a bit. "I suppose...I could put you on the station monitoring the D virus. All you have to do is watch the screen. Pretty much what Scold was doing before she up and vanished."  
  
"D virus?"  
  
"The virus we found. Oh that's right." Peroth tapped her head. "You don't know about that yet. We found the core of the doublet system, turns out to be a virus that's slowly degenerating."  
  
"Umm..." Megumi raised an eyebrow. "I don't know much about all that but isn't that a good thing?"  
  
Peroth looked sideways at her. "No, by no means is it a good thing. It's the only thing keeping those demon armies from coming in an slaughtering us."  
  
Megumi let out an 'ohhh.'  
  
"The fact that it's degenerating is not a good thing. But at the rate we saw yesterday it'll quite a while before it actually goes kapoot."  
  
"I see." Megumi stopped as they entered the main Yggdrasil chamber. The huge twisting spires that made up the tree where enormous. Her head tilted back to see if she could see the top. The tree traced all the way up where it became nothing more than a small pinprick.  
  
"Meguuuumiiiii." Peroth cooed to get the girls attention again. Megumi snapped her head down.  
  
"Gomen." She hopped down to the lower golden platform where the goddess was standing as the elder turned and gestured toward a small console to the side of a large silver chair. Peroth walked down and across in front of the console to the chair, flopping herself in, draping her arm over the armrest. She pointed at the small seat next to her.  
  
"Sit there and watch that." She groaned.  
  
Megumi sweatdropped, but proceeded down to the seat and attempted to make herself comfortable. She looked at the screen in front of her. The screen was surrounded by a loom like structure made of small white threads that were attached to an outer platform, which was stuck into the ground via a pole. White shuttle looking blocks sat in the web of string. There was nothing on the screen. Megumi looked blearily at the screen hoping maybe it would just click on so she wouldn't have to touch the confusing input controls and possibly drop a small country into the sea by mistake.  
  
"Annoo...." She looked up to her right at the over draped arm of Peorth. "Peorth-sama... how does this thing work."  
  
There was the sound of scuffling and the hand disappeared, replaced in a few seconds by a head perched on two hands on the armrest. Megumi grinned nervously and pointed at the console. "No idea how to work it."  
  
"Oi. I forgot, its all password protected and all. Big secret you know."  
  
"Ah"  
  
Peorth reached down and twiddled quickly with the shuttles. A short wait produced the screen blinking with hundreds of lines of code flashing by.  
  
"There ya go." Peorth readjusted herself again. "All you gotta do is watch that for anything strange. As for me, I'm going to take a short cat nap."  
  
Megumi just nodded and looked at the console. The strange lines of garbled code were rearranging themselves into a pattern like string. She sat back and watched for a few minutes, quickly loosing interest in the code. 'If this is what these guys do everyday, I don't know if I wanna stay a goddess.' She laughed inwardly at this thought. That the all-powerful beings that controlled the universe had such mundane tasks was ironic to her.  
  
She sat watching the screen for what seemed like hours though she knew it was probably more like twenty minutes. Her mind began to wander off to how her brother was doing. It wasn't often she worried about him. He was the older of the two and had been independent since childhood. But under the circumstances, with being turned into gods and goddesses being kidnapped, if any time was a good time to start worrying about him this was it.  
  
Rubbing her eyes and getting a good yawn in, Megumi leaned her head on one arm propped up on the hand rest of the console, tapping her fingers on the other hand. She glanced down at the code again. Something caught her eye. She crossed her arms and leaned closer. Something seemed different than a short bit ago. She couldn't quite put her finger on it though. She looked up at Peorth, or what little of the woman she could see, and figured she was napping now. Looking back down, she got the same feeling. Something definitely was wrong. After a few more seconds realization clicked.  
  
"Peorth-sama." She put a hand on the chair above her, not taking her eyes from the screen. Not getting a response, she put her hand on the goddess' leg and shook. "Peorth-sama!"  
  
There was a snorting sound and a few muffled words, but the woman didn't move. Megumi stood up and grabbed Peorth's arm and forcefully jerked her. "PEORTH-SAMA!"  
  
The woman's eyes shot open and she sat up almost instantly. "Wha-What! I didn't do it I swear!" She blinked and realizing her subordinates were nowhere to be found looked to her side. "Oh... its just you." She rubbed her forehead. "What do you need?"  
  
"Peorth-sama, you said look for anything weird in that code right?"  
  
Peorth raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I did...Why?"  
  
"Well I think there's something you need to see." Megumi release her hold and pointed down to her console. Peorth's heart started beating a bit faster as she adjusted herself and peered over the edge of the chair to the screen. The code was still moving across the screen, still changing.  
  
"What's to see?"  
  
"Just watch a second."  
  
She did. And after a few moments her eyes went wide and her heart nearly skipped a beat. The code disintegration was speeding up.  
  
* * *  
  
It had been nearly two hours since the small party wondering through the woods had encountered any sort of trouble. Urd was beginning to become quite suspicious. Surely one of only a handful of gateways to Niefelhelm would be guard much more closely than this. Especially if the demons had just managed to kidnap a goddess. She continuously scoured the forest for any signs of movement but she couldn't detect anything. She glanced up at the two in front of her. Belldandy was in the lead, her new sword resting on her shoulder when she wasn't using it to hack down the thick underbrush before her. Keiichi was a few steps behind her. None of them had said much while walking, probably more out of residual shock of seeing Belldandy attack someone than out of nothing to say.  
  
Regardless, it seemed that Belldandy had picked up the power source and was tracking it fairly thoroughly. It would only be a matter of time before they reached the gateway and maybe an entourage of guards to go along with it. Out of the corner of her eye, Urd spotted a small obelisk protruding from the dense leaf pack. Even though it was no taller than her knee it meant they were getting very close.  
  
"Oi, Belldandy." Urd called ahead.  
  
Belldandy hacked through a small sapling that had snagged on a bit of her dress. She sniffed and bounced the sword back on her shoulder, continuing on. "Yes Urd?"  
  
"You notice that rock back there?"  
  
"You mean the one that I about tripped on? Yes."  
  
Urd chuckled to herself. "Think we're getting closer?"  
  
Belldandy stopped and put her finger in her mouth. She pulled it out and held it up. After examining it for a few moments she pointed in front of her and smiled. "This way! No more than half a mile."  
  
Keiichi looked confused and rubbed his head. "Don't tell me that that actually worked."  
  
Urd walked up next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Of course not, she's just showing off."  
  
Belldandy stuck out her tongue at her sister and chuckled. "Spoil my fun why don't you." She turned and started walking again in the direction she had just pointed in, swinging the sword as she went.  
  
Urd leaned over to Keiichi's ear. "She's gone a bit loopy ne?"  
  
"I heard that!" Belldandy called over her shoulder.  
  
Keiichi sweatdropped as Urd patted him on the head. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll get back to normal when we get home after all this.  
  
"I hope so." Keiichi thought back to earlier when he saw something he never in his life thought he would witness. He saw his beloved basically kill someone. Albeit a demon that couldn't die thanks to that handy doublet thingy, but for all intents and purposes she had struck down another living thing. Even now she was cutting through trees with that demon's sword. This was not the Belldandy he knew, but that didn't meant he didn't still love her. He reached up and fondled the ring under his robes. If he got the chance at some calm point in the near future, he was planning on giving it to her and perhaps mellow her out a bit. Then again, he had no idea how much power could be coursing through her or what that power could do to her mind. He gulped at the implications that realization had.  
  
The small group trudged on through the forest for another half hour before the stone monuments became more frequent and larger in size. They were even beginning to see larger stones with markings on them, though no one could make out what they meant. The markings looked like a cross between pictographic and phonetic writing styles. Before they could ponder the meanings trapped in the ancient stones, they came to a large clearing.  
  
"We're here." Belldandy said triumphantly as the other two came up beside her. Before them was a larger stone staircase that rose gently out of the ground and proceeded some thirty feet into the air into the side of a hill. It was lined with stone pillars bearing many more of the markings they saw before. The whole thing was obviously worn and over grown with vegetation, but the grandeur made up for what it lacked in aesthetics. At the top of the stairs and buried in the hillside was an arched doorway that glowed a very faint red.  
  
Urd glanced around. "This is way too easy. There should be guards here."  
  
Belldandy huffed and stuck her sword into the ground. "Perhaps they're too lazy to come get us."  
  
"Or this is a trap." Keiichi interjected.  
  
Belldandy looked over to him and smiled. "That is quite obvious don't you think."  
  
Keiichi nodded and looked to Urd. "So what do you say?"  
  
Urd looked at him and then to her sister. "Well, I guess since we knew it was going to be a trap to begin with we're at least one step on them."  
  
"Quite right." Belldandy closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Be it a trap or not, it really doesn't matter. Skuld is down there and we have to go get her. No matter what." She opened her eyes and looked back to Keiichi.  
  
He smiled. This was the Belldandy he knew. "Right, lets go."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Alright then, lets go to hell then!" Belldandy drew her sword from the ground and shouldered it once more. The group climbed the steps before pausing at the door, looking down the stone tunnel from which the red glow emanated. The cave like walls glistened in the light. They all looked to each other and nodded their finalities. Keiichi took a step forward. "To hell we go."  
  
--------- End Part 7 ---------  
  
Yeah... so this part took a while to write. Looks like a year. Darn my laziness. College life does that to you I suppose. Writing this chapter knowing full well what is about to happen was very frustrating because I want to get to that part, but I have to make the journey to get there, causing severe writers block. Oh well.  
  
Next time, Peorth and Megumi scramble to find a way to stop the rapidly increasing speed of the doublet destruction, Hel assembles her forces, and our three heros find the person they are searching for, although its not the reunion they are expecting. Stay tuned for action and blatant abuses of literary license, next time in Of Angels and Demons.  
  
Critizism, monies, and silly abuse can be addressed to: tsunami@falseblue.com 


	8. Treading Lightly

Of Angles and Demons

By: Ben Craton

Aka: Tsunami.No.Ai

Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and Koshuke Fujishima.

Story and original characters Copyright 2001-2008 by Ben Craton

--

Of Angles and Demons

Part 8: Treading Lightly

--

All warfare is based on deception.

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War 1:18

--

Keiichi ran his fingers along the walls of the darkened tunnel he and his two companions had been wandering for well over an hour. The stench of the sulfur that Urd had mentioned in passing previously permeated his senses and nauseated him. Of course the recurring thought that he was actually inside the depths of hell looking for his beloved's sister who had been kidnapped by a horde of demons didn't help much either. The sticky dampness on the wall for the few feet he was in contact with it made him retract in disgust and wonder how such moisture could even exist in someplace as hot as this.

The tunnels hadn't been all that interesting given the location they were at. A network of passages that seemed to go on endlessly into the semi-blackness ahead. The fact there was any light at all was disturbing. The dark granite walls seems to be letting off the blood red light out of what appeared to be arteries behind it, coursing with energies that even Keiichi in his limited capacity as a demigod could sense. The path continued to descent and branch off into differing directions every few hundred feet, to where neither he nor his companions knew.

The three had said nothing since entering the chasm through the rotting temple in the Ural Mountains. Not that there was much to be said. They knew that at some point they would be ambushed but had no idea when or where. Belldandy had her sword held in front of her at the ready and Urd was constantly looking side to side, looking warily at each upcoming passage branch and appearing a little relieved once past it. Keiichi walked behind the two goddesses, partly from fear of what was ahead and partly because he had no fighting experience at all compared to the others. He had learned that during the Celestine event.

The anticipation was grating on all of their nerves. Each step took them deeper and closer to where the horde lay, almost assuredly in anticipation of the trio's arrival. They could be attacked from the sides or from the back. With the pulsating energies from the walls any hope of pinpointing another life down in these caverns was snuffed out like a candle in thick fog. It was becoming unsettling that they had yet been attacked in the time they had infiltrated Niflheim. Coupled with the heat, the silence, and the mission the three of them were becoming more and more on edge.

Suddenly, Belldandy raised her hand as a signal to stop. Urd came to a halt and glanced backward at Keiichi as if looking for a clue as to why the trek had ended there. Keiichi shrugged at her and walked up beside Belldandy. She was still staring forward in ernest. For the first time during the walk, Keiichi saw his beloved's face. The suspense of ambush and the thought of her sister must have been torturous on her. Her eyes were narrow and dark, glaring at the unseen horde ahead. There was not even a hint of a smile in her normally cheerful features. Everything in her expression indicated that she was not to be taken lightly.

Belldandy continued to watch forward and motioned for Urd and Keiichi to move closer to her. As they did, she kept her eyes n the passage ahead but used her free hand to move Urd's forehead closer to her own. Urd did the same with Keiichi. As they came in contact with each-other, their divine icons began to glow.

'Keiichi, Urd, I can feel them ahead,' Belldandy's voice entered Keiichi's mind like a loud radio.

'How can you sense them with all this interference?' Urd seemed genuinely surprised at her sister's claim.

'I can't make out individuals yet, but there is definitely a large group ahead. At least a hundred or more.'

'A hundred!?' Keiichi took a step back, inadvertently severing the communication link. Urd and Belldandy glanced up at him in annoyance and pulled him back, clacking their heads together uncomfortably.

'Yes, actually probably several hundred. But like Urd said, the interference is extremely strong here. Its more likely am only able to pick up those closest to us now. They seem to be unaware of us though.' She paused. 'And they are moving away from us.'

'That doesn't make any sense at all. Demons don't travel in groups over twenty, they are too pig headed. I would know.' Urd sniffed. 'And moving away from a fight? As if.'

'Its what I can sense from here.'

'How far from here?' Keiichi's discomfort with the situation was rising with the calm manner in which the goddesses were discussing a legion of devils waiting to kill them.

'Hmmm.. I would say probably a half mile at most. They also are not in this tunnel, or at least not in a direct path with us.'

'Any ambushes between us and them?'

'I cant tell. If the group is moving in that direction though, it would figure any stragglers would be going that way too. I cant be for certain. We should probably-'

Without warning, Belldandy grabbed Keiichi by the hair and threw him to the ground. As his body passed her shoulders, she thrust her sword over him and through the open mouth of the lunging demon serpent. It made a short, strangled scream and fell limp as the hilt struck its front teeth. Blood ran down Belldandy's arm in a thin stream. Urd jumped back in surprise realizing what had just taken place.

"What the hell!? Belldandy!" Urd shouted and then quickly realizing her mistake covered her mouth with her hand.

Keiichi, pushed himself up off the sticky floor and looked above him: Belldandy, arm outstretched covered in blood, with a sword, through the dead body of same kind of creature she had killed before. He nearly threw up. Urd knelt down and helped Keiichi to his feet all the while watching the look on her sister's face. It never once changed or faltered from the intensity before.

"Another specter. They have to know we are here," Belldandy said out-loud. She lowered the lizard, stepped on its tail and pulled the sword from it, removing the blood from the blade in a downward strike through the air.

"We have to start moving faster. There will probably be a guard party after it."

Keiichi knocked the muddy substance from his knees. "This is crazy you know. There's just three of us and-"

"That's more than enough," Belldandy said flatly. She looked back over her shoulder at him. Her eyes had become cold. "Come on, lets move before more arrive." She began to run down the black tunnel.

"Urd," Keiichi turned to the tall goddess. "There's something wrong with her."

Urd looked after her sister and sighed. "Skuld, Kami, demons.. They are all messing with her right now. But more than that.." She started after Belldandy, Keiichi in toe. "Her power is growing. Its affecting her mind. Im starting to wonder if she can even control it anymore."

She wouldn't admit it, but she was becoming more and more frightened of her own sister.

--

Peorth typed furiously on her console next to Megumi. Ever since Belldandy and the others had gone off on their missions they had been trying to contain the D virus as best they could. Not that there was much to contain. As Megumi had discovered shortly before the panic set in, the D virus was speeding up its decay. Soon, the core of the doublet system would be non-existent and there would be no protection among the Asgard from any demonic attack.

So far, they had only found that it was increasing its rate of decay and the approximate size of the virus that remained functional. Unfortunately, the rate was not constant as it as fluctuating between doubling, tripling, even slowing down, and the intervals at which it changed speed were being 5 seconds and one being as long as 45 minutes. All attempts at fixing the virus had been put on hold and all technicians who had clearance, even Peorth, were diverting their energy to finding out how much time they had left before the system failed.

"Megumi, do you have anything yet?" Peorth leaned back, taking a small breather.

"No," She said dejectedly. "Nothing… the times just don't make any normal pattern from what we have."

Peorth frowned. "Thats mostly our fault I guess. We should have caught this before. Now we only have like an hour's worth of data to go on. Could be days, could be…" She trailed off.

"Keiichi and the others will be ok though right? Its not like this will break while they are out looking for Skuld."

The elder goddess scrunched her face. "That I couldn't say. They probably have plenty of time, but I honestly haven't the slightest clue."

Megumi looked down at her console. Why was she even here, she thought. Its not like she could be much use to any of these computer types. She wanted to be with her brother looking for her friend. She at least knew how to kick butt and whatever gods or whatever were up here should have known that about her. So why had she been put somewhere where all she could do is watch monitors for things that had to be explained to her by the most senior level debugger. Something that was definitely wasting Peorth's time she was sure. She grabbed her white clothes and bunched them in her fist. No, something here wasn't right, wasn't fair.

"Hey kid. Don't get so worked up, we'll figure it out. And even if it happens to break earlier than we hope for, your brother is with two of the most powerful goddesses around. They'll all be fine." Peorth reached over and put a hand on Megumi's console and smiled.

"Yeah, you're right… I guess. Still–"

"Madam Peorth!" A tech called from the other side of the massive chamber, cutting off Megumi in mid-thought. "Madam Peorth! You must see this!" The tech flew across the chamber carrying a small disk. Murmurs and chatter arose from around all the work stations, replacing the admirable quiet that had been there before.

Peorth stood up to receive the excited young god. "Everyone back to work!" She demanded to the throng of other techs. "What is it?"

The young god landed in front of her with the disk held in front of his face. His expression was not one of joyous discover, but one of frantic alarm. "I ran the numbers through some of Yggdrasil's antiquated randomizing algorithms and found this Ma'am." He placed the disk in a vacant terminal behind Peorth's station and hit a few keys. The screen displayed various numbers and graphics before popping up a graph with the equations in question.

"You can see here, its following a modified version of the Ratatosk algorithm. Based on that, this is the projected termination time." He hit another few keys. Peorth's eyes went wide and her face grew grave.

"Recall all the remote teams to Yggdrasil, NOW!" She rushed back t her console and began running various emergency programs. Megumi watched with increasing worry.

"But Ma'am, we don't have permission to recall anyone, we're just techni–"

"DO IT NOW!" Peorth spun around and glared into the god's eyes.

"Ye.. Yes Ma'am!" The god flew back to his station.

"Peorth… What is going on? What did he show you?"

"Megumi, I'm sorry." She looked down at the demi-goddess with sad eyes for a moment. Then, gathering herself she turned and addressed the chamber.

"Everyone, We have a serious situation. We have discovered how long until the D virus will terminate. We have just under seventy-eight minutes before the system will fail. As such, I am now asserting my authority as emergency operations commander. Beginning now, we have to secure Yggdrasil and Asgard. Repeal all contracts and recall all our teams back to Asgard and tell them to await further instructions. Everyone will make this their only priority until told otherwise. Get to work!"

"Seventy eight…" Megumi had a look of horror on her face. She knew where her brother was and what most likely happen after that time ran out. She stared blankly at the floor.

Peorth walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I still mean what I said before. Those three will be fine. Now come on, I need your help with something."

Megumi wiped the tears that were coming to her eyes on their own. "but what about–?"

"They can handle it. We drill them hard enough for these kinds of things." She lied. "But Keiichi will need some help getting the message to evacuate because of where he is. We'll need to get him that message. Ok?"

Megumi paused, confused for moment, the stood. "Alright, lets do it."

--

"Mr. President, Ms. Hildebrand is here to see you again."

"Tell her I'll see her in a moment."

"Yes sir."

President Johnston sighed and put his head in his hands on the desk in front of him. This would make the third time in as many weeks that that infernal woman had shown up at the White House. She had shown up originally uninvited claiming to be from the Romanian embassy. She had the credentials and the papers needed to very this of course and the staff at the embassy did know her name, but beyond that no one had been able to find any record of her beyond a month ago.

The president began to clear his desk of the classified materials he had been presented with earlier from the chiefs of staff. Not that she didn't already know what was in them of course. She had been the one to bring the documents to them in the first place. On her first visit she had come "on behalf of the fair Romanian people with news of grave importance." Shaky identity or not, when she presented the satellite photos that were verified by the CIA a day later, it didn't matter anymore.

"Ah! Mister President!" The thick accent came from the door. Johnston looked up at the tall, thin woman who was followed into the office by two secret service. She sauntered up to his desk and tapped on it with a large manilla envelope. "I come bearing more intelligence from my government."

"Sorry sir, she refused to wait outside again." The larger service man apologized for the both of them. The president looked at Ms. Hildebrand and back at the service man, motioning for him to stand down and wait outside. The men left, closing the door behind them.

"So, you bring me more bad news I take it." He rapped the papers on the desk, stacking them, before placing them in the drawer out of sight.

The woman grinned and walked to the side of his desk, sitting on the edge.. "Bad news for you, yes. But bad news for all parties involved? Hmm.. I am not so sure about that." She flipped her silvery hair back over her shoulder. Johnston studied her cautiously.

"Let me be frank with you Ms. Hildebrand."

"Helena." She kept grinning.

"Helena...Im not quite sure what you're up to but I know that you and your government seem to be up to something. Its obvious that the information you've given us is accurate, but the fact you will only talk to me and your government knows very little about you is very troublesome."

"Hmm, I could see where that perhaps May be of some concern to you mister president, but can you afford not to trust me?" She held the envelope up in the air and tossed it in front of him on is desk.

Johnston sighed. "I suppose under the circumstances, no. However, if worst come s to worst, Helena, be mindful you will probably be the first against the wall."

"Hmph, that is not entirely humanitarian of you." She stood and walked back towards the door, taking the handle. "Just remember, the photos do not lie."

"What is you want from us?" He said, standing.

"Want? From you? Nothing. We are offering this as a sign of good will." She nodded at him, opened the door and left.

Johnston looked down at the envelope, picked it up and opened it, spilling the contents onto his desk. Just as before, there were more satellite photos of the eastern and western border regions of russia. More photos of mobilizing forces and silo construction. More documents showing the communications between russia and more of America's potential enemies. The woman was bring him war, little by little, in envelopes.

Outside the door, the woman smiled and vanished.

--

Megumi was trying to keep up with the elder goddess who seemed to be speeding down the corridors of the Yggdrasil complex with abandon. Megumi wished she could fly as well. Not a word had been spoken while weaving in and out of the passageways further and further down into the structure. The walls were getting continuously more dusty and eroded the farther they went. The air smelled of age.

"Where are we going?" Megumi huffed.

"Somewhere private," Peorth said without turning around.

They came to the end of a hall and to a small archway. Peorth slowed finally and landed in front of the door. Megumi caught up and leaned against the wall gasping for breath.

"Here we go," the older goddess reached into the top of her outfit and fished out of it a small key. She unlocked the door and started inside. She glanced down at Megumi who was giving her a look of exasperation.

"What, you've never kept something in there? Come on then," she nodded toward the interior. Megumi sighed and followed her in.

"What is this place anyway?"

"Used to be one of the archive rooms till they moved most of the equipment to a consolidated area. Been abandoned since then. I use it for privacy." She reached down in the dim light which shown in only a beam from the window at the top of the archway above the door. With a few flicks of switches some holo-screens in the corner of the room flared into life.

"What do we need privacy for?" Megumi glanced around the room, looking for a place to sit down that wasn't covered in dust.

Peorth sat in the only visible chair in the room and cracked her knuckles. "For some investigating." She turned back to her companion. "Don't you find it rather odd that you all show up here, then we find the doublet system, then Skuld goes missing, and now Belldandy and your brother are off in Nifelhem?"

Megumi scratched her head. "To be honest, I haven't had much time to think since getting here. But now that you put it that way, yeah, it seems kinda fishy."

Peorth nodded and turned back to the screens which were done coming online. "I was planning on doing this later, when Urd got back, but given the fact we only have an hour now, I don't have much time to get to the bottom of it."

"So what are you going to do?" Megumi walked up and watched over Peorth's shoulder. "I thought the doublet thing was your priority."

"It… it is, but I have this feeling that there's more to it than that." She tapped some of the harp like strings at the console. "Something about the timing of Skuld vanishing has been bothering me."

"Like what?"

"I know she was working on finding out why the D virus was deteriorating at the time she up and went poof. I can only imagine she found out what it was and was conveniently silenced." She plucked some more strings and moved a shuttle looking device.

Megumi mulled over this. It would make sense thats why she was abducted. Why else would demons target her instead of someone with more clout. "That does sound like a good explanation. But how does that help us?"

"It doesn't, well, not really. It only lets us know she may have known something. And if I know my Skuld tactics, she would have saved it somewhere just in case. Ah ha!"

"What?" Megumi peered closer at the terminal.

"I found the access to the security system for last night's records." She leered at them, browsing the files and directories. "Hmm.. All of the data seems to be here… except for the main control hall at the time she would have been and then subsequently the eastern and lower sections are missing." She sat back and pondered this.

"Missing? You don't think…" Megumi looked down at Peorth who met her eyes with the same realization. "There's someone… someone here that is in on it!"

Peorth looked down again. "Damn… I was hoping that wasn't a possibility. It makes this much more difficult. We might have a spy up here, or worse. Either way, it means that we cant trust anything we find on these systems." She flicked the switch on the terminal and stood to leave.

"Where are you going now?" Megumi whined, following the goddess to the door.

"Let assume, just for a minute, that Skuld did find something, and that someone up here is working for the demons. They would have pursued her from here. Thats why the security files for the main hall and the lower east entrances were gone. It would figure she ran out that way, towards the east."

"What's that way?" Megumi was now back out in the hall, waiting for Peorth to close and lock the door, placing the key back in its intended spot.

"'Not much, not if you're being chased anyway. Except… Lake Werner. Which could mean..."

"She used it to escape!" Megumi finished her thought for her.

"Indeed. If that were the case, she would go to the first place she could think of thats safe."

"The temple!"

"Exactly. We will search there."

--

The heat and humidity bore down on the trio of gods as they continued down the ever winding passages. The red light was darker now and the walls seemed to close in around them. It was nearly pitch black but the walls' light still highlighted their features with a blood red tinge. The pressure also seemed to be increasing. Since the last attack they had seen nor heard any of the demon horde Belldandy had sensed earlier. They had been left alone to wander, anticipating with every step that the next corner would lead into a pack of awaiting demons ready to strike.

Keiichi leaned over to Urd as they walked. "How far do you think we are into hell?" He asked in a hushed voice.

Urd thought for a second. "Maybe two miles in, but we haven't actually gotten to hell yet. We're still on earth, just under ground. Very deep underground"

"When do we get into hell then?"

"Hmm.. Good question. Now that I think about it we should have passed through the barrier portal already, but we're definitely not in hell yet." Urd quickened her pace a bit to catch up to Belldandy a few yards in front of them. She tapped her sister on the shoulder. Belldandy glanced back at her with an inquisitive look without slowing down.

"Just noticed, we're not in hell yet. Shouldn't we have passed the barrier by now?"

Belldandy blinked and then suddenly stopped, causing Urd to trip over her own feet and fall on her face. Urd sat up on the ground holding her nose.

"You could warn me before you do that!" She hissed.

Belldandy had a finger up to her cheek in though and was looking back down the passage they had come down. Keiichi walked up beside her.

"What is it?"

Belldandy hmmed and lowers her finger and her sword to the ground. "This is a bigger trap than we thought." She spoke in a normal voice, causing the now standing Urd and Keiichi to clamp their hands on her mouth. She reached up and pulled them off dejectedly.

"There's no point in lowering our voices. No one is here anymore." She said, putting the sword point in the ground and turning it absently.

"Huh?" The other said in unison.

"You're right, we should have come into hell long ago. Probably a mile or so back, but we haven't. In face, now that you brought it up, I cant sense any demons any more. Well…. Not the horde I felt earlier, just a few stragglers. I think they left."

"Wait wait wait," Keiichi raised and eyebrow. "How did they all just vanish without you noticing? And if we've been on earth this whole time, what's a demon army doing here anyway?"

"For starters, I didn't notice because I wasn't really paying attention to them. I was busy watching for attacks. Second… I don't know. But it would seem that we have been not only expected, but lead here for a reason. Otherwise we would have at least met with a little resistance, other than that serpent of course."

"Well thats just great! Have you at least been able to locate Skuld yet?" Urd crossed her arms.

"I've been trying Urd, but no, I haven't. Though since there are stragglers, there's no reason to believe she wouldn't still be here according to the intel we have. I doubt any army of demons would be trusted with a goddess of her status."

"You mean a lowly debugger?"

Belldandy glared at Urd.

"Sorry… Just trying to break the tension."

Belldandy sighed. "Keep those kind of comments to yourself. Im at my wits end as it is. Id think you'd show more concern over your own sister being missing too."

Urd looked at the ground uncomfortably. She had to admit, she was becoming more and more troubled the longer it took for them to find Skuld. Now the demons apparently were gone and there was no sign of her sister to be had. She still hoped it would be like normal times when something like Mara did went wrong and one of them was in trouble and there was a little confrontation and then everyone went home happy. But deep down, in her heart, she had the feeling that this time would be different. That this time, they weren't going to be able to just pack up and go home like nothing happened. And it scared her.

Keiichi had walked a bit in front of the others to peer around the corner they had been moving towards. "hey guys, I think you should see this." He stood at the corner of the tiny passage looking to the left. The goddesses sauntered over and looked around themselves. Belldandy nearly dropped her sword. In front of them was an enormous cavern probably a quarter mile across and a little less than that high. It was filled with the glow of red hot magma flowing, unseen,through a crevasse at the end of the room opposite them. The ground was flat and the walls like curtains of rock rising to meet the solid rock ceiling. The trio walked in looking around in awe.

"Well this is new and unexpected." Urd walked in about twenty paces and stopped, putting her hands on her hips. She turned back to Belldandy who was now hovering near Keiichi. "you think this is where the army was?"

Belldandy shook her head. "No, they were to the north, this room is south of where I sensed them."

Urd sniffed. It was odd, a room this big with nothing in it. And what was more, it didn't wreak of sulfur, not like the passage. Must be the lava, she thought. "I don't see any exits out of here other than where we came in."

Keiichi walked further to the right of where they came in, examining the length of the wall. "How can you tell? There's enough folds in the rock to hide an entrance every few feet."

Urd frowned. "Inspired guess. I certainly don't see any."

Suddenly, Belldandy lurched forward and grabbed Keiichi's arm and pulled him to a stop. "Wha-!" "SHH!" She hissed for him to be silent. She turned back to Urd and motioned for her to stay silent and move back against the wall adjacent to the back wall. As they moved back, Urd and Keiichi began to hear the cause of Belldandy's alarm. A scraping sound, like metal being dragged along haphazardly on the ground was quietly filling the cavern. It echoed and reverberated along the walls, growing louder and making the noise impossible to pinpoint. Small skips in the noise seemed to be whatever it was skipping as it hit small rocks on the floor.

Urd motioned to Belldandy for a count of how many enemies. She put up one finger and held her sword at the ready with her other hand. After a minute or so, a figure emerged not more than 30 yards down the adjacent wall. It walked perpendicular to them, paying them no heed. It was hunched over and walked without purpose. Behind it, it drug a pole, not much shorter than itself. The light of the magma glistened off its hair which hung down past its face, concealing any features. The clothes it wore glistened as well, in a sheen, as though they were made of leather. As the pole hit a small stone on the ground it bounced, breaking the noise with an ominous second of silence. In that silence, the head of a hammer glinted in the red light before smacking back into the ground. The figure walked until it was in front of them and then it stopped. It turned to them and stood up straight, flicking its hair back behind its shoulders.

The face was wrinkled and the eyes sunk, matted in blood and scratched to hell, but in the few moments it was lit by the molten river, the three gods felt their hearts stop. With eyes wide and psychotic smile on her face, Skuld picked up the hammer from the ground and swinging it with murderous abandon flew at them.

--

End Chapter 8, To Be Continued

--

Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter out. It took a dedicated fan several weeks of pestering to get me to write this part. If you felt like this was all filler, it really kinda is. But it's necessary filler to set up the next chapter, the final chapter in the first half of OAAD. All the pieces and questions you have will come together and will probably surprise you. If the pestering continues you can expect that chapter out in the coming weeks.

05/10/2008 - Tsunami.No.Ai


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